Harry Potter and the Phoenix of Beacon
by shadowtiger23
Summary: Harry fell through the Veil at the Ministry and landed on the island of Patch. He's nursed back to health by the Ruby, Yang and Taiyang. With no clue on how to return to his world, he decides to become a Hunter. Blessed with new abilities as well losing old ones, Harry rises through the world of Remnant. But will he ever return home?
1. The Fall

**I know. There are too many stories about Harry falling through the Veil at the Ministry and ending up in a different world. I can only hope readers will enjoy my version.**

 **On with the show!**

* * *

Harry was frozen with horror as Bellatrix continued to torture Neville with the Cruciatus Curse as the other Death Eaters laughed. Neville was screaming and writhing on the ground. It seemed like an eternity before Bellatrix finally released the curse.

"And that was just a taster!" she cackled. Neville struggled to catch his breath.

"So you see, Potter," Malfoy drawled out. "You have no choice. Give us the prophecy. Refuse and your friends will pay the price."

Harry gripped the orb in his hand. This was his fault. His friends were suffering for his stupidity. Hermione could be on the brink of death, Ron was strangled by a brain with tentacles, Ginny and Luna were injured. And now, Neville was paying the price by being tortured like his parents. He had no choice.

"Alright, alright! Just leave them alone!" Harry yelled, holding out the orb. If there's any chance it will save his friends, he'll do it.

"Don't do it! Don't give it to them!" Neville gasped. One of the Death Eaters kicked him in the stomach.

"There's a good lad," Malfoy sneered as he approached Harry. "Maybe you're smarter than the Dark Lord believed."

Harry stretched out his arm. The orb was burning like fire in his hand. Malfoy reached to take the prophecy from him, a smirk on his face, when suddenly the doors above them burst open. While Malfoy was distracted, Harry jerked the prophecy back to him. Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley and Moody rushed down the stairs. They fired curses down at the Death Eaters, who scattered and returned fire with a barrage of curses.

Neville took this opportunity to crawl furiously to Harry, keeping his head down to avoid spells that were flying above his head. Harry grabbed him and pulled him behind one of the arch's pillars.

"Are you okay?" asked Harry.

Neville nodded, but was still shaking. "We have to get out of here," he said hoarsely.

"Right." Harry gave the prophecy to Neville and then pulled out his wand. "Stay behind me. I'll lead us to the other side of the room."

Harry lifted Neville to his feet and tried to hurry to the nearest Order of the Phoenix member, Lupin. He saw them and motioned with his hand for them to hurry over. But Neville was still shaky on his feet. He collapsed on the ground, cradling the prophecy in both hands. Harry hurried back and gripped Neville under the arms.

" _Bombarda_!"

Harry didn't know who cast the spell, but he did know that it was Malfoy who deflected it. It was in that horrible moment that Harry realized two things: Malfoy deflected the curse towards Harry and Harry was in front of the Veil.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the curse shoot towards them. Harry, in a show of desperation, pushed Neville away to safety. The curse landed at Harry's fee and the shockwave from the impact lifted him off of his feet. He felt himself fly backwards through the air. It seemed like he saw everyone, Death Eaters and Phoenix members, look on in shock as the veil swallowed him up.

Harry thought he would die immediately. Falling through an unknown doorway seemed like the end of existence. But instead, Harry seemed to float gently down a large, gray tunnel. It was the same sensation he felt when he entered Dumbledore's Pensieve. Everything around him seemed to be made of the same substance as the veil. Also, he could see that there were other doors and archways, each glowing with a white light.

Suddenly, his scar erupted with a fire he had not known before. He clutched at it, hoping to stem away any pain he could. His eyes watered horribly due to the pain. But it seemed that something was actually emerging from it. Harry could feel what felt like sand pouring from his scar. He opened his eyes to see a black smoke hovering in front of him. To his horror, the smoke seemed to take a form of Voldemort's face.

The figure in front of him was actually screaming. A high-pitched noise that liquefied Harry's insides with fear. But then, the head gave one last howl of pain and evaporated into nothing.

Harry was panting heavily at the pain he just felt and the scene of horror before him.

"What the hell was that?" he muttered.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, Harry felt himself suddenly pick up speed in his descent through the tunnel. His clothes whipped around him and his hair flew into his eyes. Then, his glasses flew off his face. He tried to make grab at them, but they were already out of his reach.

"How can this get any worse?!" he yelled out. Then the universe answered.

Harry's body suddenly felt like it was suddenly being squeezed by a giant press. He couldn't take a breath in to fill his lungs. And already, he began to see stars in his eyes. But through the stars Harry saw what looked like a blue light leaking from his fingertips like a liquid. It was warm and felt thicker than water. Like blood.

He didn't know if the was the lack of air or the liquid leaking from his fingers, but he felt himself getting weaker. Harry couldn't feel his legs or his arms anymore. The stars were now gone and were replaced by darkness.

 _Am I dying?_ He thought. An image of all five of his friends flashed before his eyes. _I'm so sorry everyone._

As the darkness closed in, he thought he heard the last beautiful thing he ever heard before. The song of a phoenix.

* * *

 _They found him where?_

 _In the field next to Summer's grave. The girls said the grass around him had been scorched._

 _So…what was he doing there?_

 _Only he can tell us that. I don't recognize him at all. And no missing persons match his appearance anywhere in Vale._

 _Then he's from another kingdom?_

 _Maybe…_

Harry heard the voices echo. He didn't know who they were. It was two men. One seemed concerned while the other, who talked really quiet and slow, seemed to be cautious.

Slowly, Harry opened his eyes. The task alone seemed to be a real struggle. He saw a white ceiling above him and for a moment, he thought he was back in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. He blinked and realized it wasn't the same ceiling. The lights coming from the ceiling were from lightbulbs, not candles. And he was laying down on what seemed to be a couch instead of a bed.

Harry struggled to push himself up into a sitting position. It was a real effort and it made him groan with pain. His entire body felt drained and sore. He grabbed the top part of the couch, and then he swung his legs off and onto the floor. Leaning back against the rest, Harry took in his surroundings.

He was in a very large living room. The floors were hardwood as well as the walls surrounding him. A large rug covered a majority of the floor. There was a brick fireplace to his left, but the fires were not lit. A beautiful sunset painting rested on top of it. In front of him was a large bookshelf, several potted plants, and large cabinet. There was what looked like a television remote on top of the cabinet, but no television was around. Just small gray box with a glowing, green light. The few windows around the house told him it was evening.

Finally there was a stair case that divided itself into the corner of the room. Half on one wall, the other half on the other side that led to second floor.

Harry rubbed his eyes, and then stopped. He just realized he could see as clear as day and didn't have his glasses on. He felt along his ears and cheeks, double checking. Excitement and confusion ran through him. It seemed like a miracle.

But then that excitement vanished when he remembered what happened. The Ministry, Death Eaters, the fight. A sick feeling swelled in his stomach when he realized his friends could still be in danger, regardless if the Order of the Phoenix showed up. He had to find a way to get back to them.

"Rwarf."

Harry jumped. A small dog with black fur across its back and white on its stomach and paws was sitting on the floor in front of his feet. It looked up curiously at Harry.

"Ummm….hello?" Harry said. The dog raised its front paws on Harry's knee and licked his hand.

"I see you've met Zwei," said a voice to Harry's right.

Harry turned to see a man standing in the doorway to what looked like the kitchen. The man was average height with blond hair and a matching goatee. He had blue eyes. He was also wearing some of the weirdest clothes Harry had ever seen.(Including what he saw wizards wearing at the Quidditch World Cup.)

He wore a tan shirt that was covered by a brown leather vest. The shirt had a red collar and the right sleeve seemed to be missing. He had a pair of matching brown shorts with black shoes. But what really added to the weird outfit was the red bandana on the left arm, the metal guard on the right shoulder, the leather gauntlet and fingerless glove on his right hand. Finally, there were the markings of a tattoo on the right bicep.

"Hello," said Harry cautiously.

"Good to see you're awake, kid," said the man. He grabbed a wooden chair and walked towards Harry. He sat down in front of him, where Zwei laid down beside the man's feet.

"My name is Taiyang. Who are you? Are you hurting anywhere?" the man asked. He looked at Harry with what seemed like genuine concern.

Harry gazed at the man for only a moment. He didn't know if he was a wizard or a muggle, so he answered as best as he could.

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter," Harry answered. The man gave no reaction to his name. He must have been a muggle. "I just feel sore and tired."

"Well you seem to be in good health. The only injury you seem to have was the funny mark on your forehead."

Harry raised a hand to forehead only feel a wrap of bandages around his head. He winced when he touched the spot where his scar was. It felt swollen and he could almost trace the unique shape under the bandage.

"It was the strangest thing, it almost looked like a lightning bolt," Taiyang explained. "But other than that, you seem to be okay."

"Thank you for treating me," said Harry. Then he remembered the voices from earlier. "Umm…I heard you say I was found near a grave?"

Taiyang nodded, his expression changed to a calculated one. "Yes. It was my daughters who found you. They found you at my late wife's grave. The grass surrounding you was burnt into a perfect circle." Taiyang reached into his shirt and pulled out what looked like a small, rectangle piece of glass that had white, plastic covers on the short sides. The glass lit up and showed a picture of Harry lying on his back in the center of the circle.

Harry gaped at the device. He didn't know what it was or how it took such detailed pictures. He knew his Aunt Petunia got a digital camera that let her see the images she just took and also view them on Uncle Vernon's computer. But this device was little bit more advance. He saw Taiyang raise an eyebrow at Harry's expression.

"You never seen a Scroll before?" asked Taiyang.

Harry swallowed and thought the best answer would be the truth. "No. I haven't seen anything like that before."

"You must have lived a pretty sheltered life then. Are you from Mistral? Vacuo? Are from one of the villages outside of Vale?

Mistral? Vacuo? Harry had never heard of these places before. He didn't know how to answer. He could lie and say he was from one of them, but then they would ask more questions and Harry would only be digging himself deeper in a hole.

Once again, the thought the truth would be best. "I came from London. It's the capital in Great Britain."

Taiyang frowned. "I've never heard of London or Great Britain. " He shifted in his seat. "Look, son. I'm trying to help you out. But I can't if you keep lying to me."

Anger flared up inside of Harry. Being accused of lying by the Ministry and his peers still had not quelled from the long year of stupid newspaper articles and cruel whispers. He knew this man didn't know his struggles, but he couldn't stem the anger that came.

"I'm not lying," Harry growled. He struggled to stand to his feet, making it after a short wobble. "I'm sorry about the damage I did. It was not my intention. I'll just leave."

Harry staggered to the door. Zwei jumped up and started barking at Harry.

"Harry, you can't leave," Taiyang insisted. The confused expression was replaced by one of concern.

"Thank you for your help," said Harry. He reached and grabbed the door handle to what he hoped was the outside. "I'll find a way to pay you back if I can."

"Stop, Harry." Taiyang said and gripped Harry's arm.

Harry jerked his arm back to hit Taiyang in the chest. His anger turned to horror when his elbow made a solid thump and Taiyang flew backwards across the room. He landed on the sofa. Harry saw the look of surprise on the man's face as he pressed a hand to his chest.

Harry gazed back at his arm. How could he in his weakened state do that? It wasn't magic. He could usually feel when his magic flowed through him and he was too old for any accidental magic to occur.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Harry gasped. He opened the door and turned to leave. "I need to go."

"Wait!" came Taiyang's shout.

Harry felt a rush of clean, cool air against his face. He saw a worn-out path leading to a forest just outside the boundaries of a neat front yard. He could hear the soft chirping of tree frogs around him.

And then he saw the moon and froze.

The moon, full and brightly lighting up the sky, was shattered. Almost half of it was several pieces, just floating beside main body. It seemed like the pieces would just start moving. But they never did.

"Harry, what's wrong? Asked Taiyang behind Harry.

Harry raised a shaking hand towards the sky. "The…the…moon."

"What about it?"

"It's not supposed to be like that," Harry whispered.

"Harry, the moon has always been like that. For as long as we can remember," answered Taiyang.

With that, all the anger within Harry vanished. The confusion, exhaustion, and stress he had just suddenly overwhelmed him. The darkness closed in once again and he fell backwards.

* * *

Harry didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but when he woke up, the lights had dimmed as low as possible. He pushed himself up on the couch, where he had been placed once again. Taiyang had been sitting in the chair beside him, watching him with a curious expression.

"How long was I out?" asked Harry.

"Just about an hour," answered Taiyang. "I must admit, I've never seen someone pass out when they see the moon."

Harry swallowed and moved his legs off the couch. Taiyang handed him a glass of water, which Harry eagerly took and gulped down. It seemed some of his strength had come back. When he was done, he handed the glass back.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry about…you know…"

Taiyang smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's not the first time I've been thrown across the room. And I doubt it will be the last."

But Harry frowned. Taiyang wasn't concerned at all about Harry's newfound strength. It seemed as though the man thought super strength in kids was a normal thing.

"Tai, I think we have more important issues than you being tossed around like a Frisbee," said a soft voice from the kitchen.

Harry turned around and saw another oddly dressed man leaning against the doorway. He was wearing a dark, gray dress shirt that had tails in the back. He had black pants and shoes. His hair, black with gray, was spiked behind him a few strands down his forehead. He wore what looked like a red cape as well.

But what seemed to make Harry nervous were the man's red eyes. The bore into him with an intensity matched only by Professor Dumbledore and Snape.

"You're right, Qrow," Taiyang said seriously. "I'm afraid we still have much to talk about Harry."

Harry slowly nodded his head. The moon he saw outside could mean only one thing: he was not on Earth. And he needed all the help he could get.

"Okay, I'll tell you both the truth. But you are not going to believe me," Harry answered.

Qrow chuckled and pulled a flask from his pocket. "Kid, I've been all over the world. I've seen some pretty weird stuff over the years. I highly doubt you could tell me anything I haven't heard before."

Harry smirked despite the situation. "Want to bet?"

"Wow me," said Qrow. He took a deep gulp from his flask and settled into an armchair beside the couch.

If he was on another world, then there was nothing stopping Harry from telling the secrets of his world. And these two had helped him. He owed it to at least tell them the truth.

Harry took a deep breath and exhaled. "My name is Harry Potter and I think I've been transported here from another world. You see, I come from a world different from yours. Mine is a world of magic…."

* * *

There we go. Another Harry Potter and RWBY crossover. I hope everyone enjoys it.


	2. The Awakening

Well, here is my newest chapter. I want to apologize in advance. It's actually been a long time since I've updated any stories to my account. I'm trying remember everything I can about proper sentence structures and editing. I hope I can work up to my reader's expectations.

Enjoy!

* * *

So Harry told them. For nearly two hours, Harry told the two men everything he could about his world. Everything he could remember from his days of history, social studies and geography classes. He even drew a rough map of what his world looked like. Harry told them about the mankind's evolution, accomplishments, their rising civilizations, and the downfall of their kingdoms. Furthermore, Harry told them about his life.

Both men gazed attentively at him as he talked the night away. Taiyang seemed to be really enjoying his story while Qrow didn't really do anything. However, he seemed to sit up a little straighter when Harry mentioned the word magic

Harry explained how he found out about magic from Hagrid and soon enrolled into Hogwarts for his education. He told them about the subjects he studied, flying in Quidditch matches, and the adventures he had with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione.

Then he got to Voldemort.

The two men's faces darkened as they learned about a man who started a war over blood purity and how he hoped to rule the wizard world. Harry told them through clenched teeth how Voldemort murdered his parents when he was a baby. How he tried to kill Harry but the curse rebounded on Voldemort instead. And how every year he ran into Voldemort or his servants and how he barely escaped each time.

Harry coughed and Taiyang got up to refill his water glass. Meanwhile, Qrow just stared at the boy through calculating eyes. The two stared at each other until Taiyang returned.

"Thanks," croaked Harry. He eagerly gulped down the water as Taiyang sat back down.

"Continue, please," said Taiyang.

Harry nodded and began talking about his fifth year. The struggles he endured from the Ministry of Magic, the slander and lies from the Daily Prophet, and the cruel tutelage of Dolores Umbridge. When he showed them the scars on his right hand, both men scowled in rage.

"That bitch," muttered Qrow.

"Harry, why didn't you go to another teacher about this?" asked Taiyang.

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want to tell anyone at the time. My headmaster and his staff had enough to deal with at the time. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of reporting her. Besides, she eventually passed a decree that said teachers couldn't help students with anything unless it was about the subject they taught."

"That's no excuse!" yelled Taiyang. "I would never treat a student like that. If I caught anyone doing that to my daughters, they wouldn't find the body!"

Taiyang punched his right fist into his left palm. There was a loud crack like a gunshot and Harry instinctively ducked.

"Whoops. Sorry," Taiyang said sheepishly.

Harry stared in shock at the man. Maybe Harry had been correct about the strength thing earlier. To be able to impact that much force with his punches alone….

"Tai, knock it off. You're scaring the kid," Qrow muttered as he took another swig from his flask.

Taiyang turned to Qrow. "Don't tell me you approve of this kind of punishment."

Qrow frowned. "There's no way in hell I would carve words into one of my student's hands. Train them into the dirt, yes, I would. But the kid doesn't seem to care right now. If he's telling the truth, that is.

 _Telling the…._ Harry scowled at the man. "You still don't believe me?"

"Well, You haven't told us how got from your world of magic to here, have you?"

Harry kept his gaze at Qrow for a few seconds before he started his story again. He told them about vision he had of his godfather being tortured at the Ministry and how he and his friends went to go save him. But it was a trap set up by Voldemort to get a prophecy that only he or Harry could remove. They tried to escape but were injured in the pursuit. When the Order arrived just in time to save them, Harry was caught in the backlash of a spell and fell through the Veil. The next thing Harry knew, he woke up in their living room.

After he finished, a calm silence fell over the three of them. Then the clock on the far wall chimed for midnight. Each man was looking at Harry with a calculated eye. Taiyang seemed to be fighting with himself on whether or not to believe Harry. Qrow, however, didn't seem to be having that battle. The man stood up and drained the last of whatever was in his flask.

"Yep. I've been drinking since eight and I still don't believe you," Qrow muttered. "Nice story, kid. You should market that into a book series."

"Qrow," Taiyang tried to reason.

"I'm not lying!" Harry growled as he got to his feet. His fingernails cut into his palm as he gripped his fists. "Everything I've said is true."

"Look, kid, magic is nothing but a fairy tale," Qrow explained. "A thousand years ago, we believed certain individuals possessed what you call magic, but it ended up being nothing but the first recorded semblances. "

Harry didn't know what semblances were, but he was too angry to care at the moment. "So all of my pain, all of my suffering is what, a figment of my imagination?" He ripped the bandage off his head and pointed to what he knew was the scar on his forehead. "This is the mark of dark magic. My mother sacrificed herself to save me. It was the magic of her love that protected me when Voldemort tried to kill me. This scar is where Voldemort's killing curse rebounded onto him, ripping his soul from his body. And proof that my mother sacrificed herself for me. "

Qrow didn't even blink when Harry showed him the scar but his features did somber a bit. "Kid, I'm sorry about your mother. But I'm sure even Taiyang will admit it's a hard story to follow. "

Harry saw that Taiyang glare at Qrow, but didn't make any notion to contradict him. "Qrow, he's been through a lot right now. Don't exasperate things further."

Harry's blood was really beginning to boil within him. "Fine, you want more proof." He reached into his sleeve to pull out his wand, but felt nothing. A fresh wave of fear washed over him as he felt both his shirt sleeves and the pockets of his jeans.

"My wand!"

"Your what?" Taiyang asked.

"My wand! It's gone!" Harry looked at Taiyang. "The very thing I need to use my magic. I was holding in my hand when I fell through the veil. Did you find it when you found me?"

"Wait, wait. An actually wand?" Qrow asked.

"Yes! Eleven inches long, made of holly with a phoenix core," Harry explained. The panic of not having a wand in a strange world threatened to overwhelm him with panic. What good could he be if he couldn't protect himself?

"Sorry, Harry. But we didn't find anything like that." Taiyang walked to the mantle and pulled down a small box. He gave to Harry. "This is all we found on you."

In the box were two spare quills he still had from his History of Magic O.W.L., the folded piece of parchment that was the Maruader's Map, his furry wallet from Hagrid, Sirius's broken knife and the fake galleon for the D.A. No wand.

"Maybe it's still where you found me," Harry said weakly. He was beginning to feel sick. "You saw it but thought it was just a stick."

"That's possible, but like I said earlier, it was my daughters who found you. They're the ones who carried you back," explained Taiyang. Harry raised an eyebrow and Taiyang laughed. "My daughter Yang is a lot stronger than people believe. Even stronger than me."

"Can they take me back to where they found me?" asked Harry.

"Not right now. It's late and you'll have a hard time finding your wand in the dark. They'll take you tomorrow morning when it's less dangerous."

Harry frowned. "What kind of dangers?"

Taiyang sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If you are from another world, then you will need to learn how to survive in ours. It's not safe for a civilian to travel in the woods alone without training."

Qrow chuckled. "That's right, kid. There are things in the woods that would make any dangerous creature in your world seem like a cute puppy."

Harry highly doubted that. He bet a Hungarian Horntail or a Dementor would give anything they had a run for their galleons.

Taiyang got a blanket and pillow from the closet underneath the stairs. "Here, you can camp out on the couch tonight. Tomorrow, the girls will take you to where they found you so you can find some clues. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Thank you, sir" Harry said he accepted the blanket and pillow. "And I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

Taiyang laughed. "If you stick around, you'll realize that this is nothing compared to what my daughters and Qrow can do."

"Still…"

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day. It should be a nice time for a walk around the island."

With that, Taiyang and Qrow went upstairs to their rooms. Taiyang ran a finger over a piece of glowing metal on the wall and the lights dimmed, and then went dark.

Harry laid down on the couch, all the energy and anger he had earlier just seemed to vanish. Even the sadness of losing his friends wasn't enough to keep him awake. He shouldn't have lost his temper. His story would be hard to believe. Magic was hard enough to believe in, that he had to travel from another world through a magical archway.

Harry reached to his face to take off his glasses, only to remember he wasn't wearing them. He smiled as he turned on his side.

At least some good came from falling through the veil.

* * *

Qrow watched the boy from the top of the stairs. He kept an eye on him until the boy's breathing slowed as he fell asleep. He felt a little guilty about pushing the boy's anger. But Harry revealed the truth in his words when he retaliated against him. Qrow knew what sign to look for when someone was lying, and Harry didn't show a single one.

When Taiyang called him earlier and told him the girls found a boy in a scorched circle, his immediate thought was that his brother-in-law found his secret stash of liquor and went nuts. But when he examined the area they found him further, he realized it was true. Harry had literally fallen into the world. He thought back to what happened earlier in the day.

 _Tai kept watch over the boy, Qrow examined Harry's belongings. He hoped he could find some identification and find out where he came from. However, when he tried opening the wallet, he was shocked as pair of fangs seemed to materialize and take a bite out of his fingers. The wallet seemed to actually be alive and protected whatever was inside the wallet. It even growled warningly anytime Qrow reached for it again._

 _The other items weren't as interesting. The gold coin was obviously a fake with a series of numbers along the edge. The knife looked like the blade melted off; the feathered quills were useless and damaged._

 _But when Qrow examined the parchment, he immediately felt something. He didn't know what it was, but it definitely felt familiar. He carefully unfolded it, taking care not to damage the boy's possessions. It was blank. Qrow felt disappointment at another dead end at identifying the boy. He was about to fold it back up when the parchment seemed to glow with a blue light. However, it was gone just as soon as it appeared. Maybe it was a trick of the light._

Qrow shook his head and walked to his room. Of course he believed in magic. His niece was descendant of the silver-eyed warriors that could freeze Grimm with a single glance. He was part of a brotherhood that protected the Maidens of the Seasons. He remembered the powers Amber possessed. They went beyond the capabilities of semblances or dust. The only way to describe it was magic. Magic granted by an old wizard from a time long forgotten. But how could this boy have magic? Was he a descendent from the old wizard?

Or could his story about another world be actually true?

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his scroll and found the two pictures he took earlier. One was of the boy's eye for a retinal scan. The other was a picture of the boy's right hand. He hoped he could find him in the system using a fingerprint scanner. Finally, he patted the pocket in his shirt which contained a gauze of blood from Harry's injury.

Tomorrow, he would send the images and blood to Vale's genealogy department and missing person's cases. Any results will deny or confirm Harry's story.

But as he was walking to his room, his scroll vibrated. Qrow checked the screen to see that the motion sensors he set up nearby had been tripped. The pixelated image sent back to him was of a Beowolf.

Qrow sighed and went to grab his scythe. Harry's anger and sadness must have drawn them here. That meant the boy had to emit some powerful emotions for them to try and find him. Which led to Qrow believing his story even more.

Looks like it was going to be a late night for him.

* * *

When Harry woke up, the clock on the wall was chiming seven. He blinked against the sunlight that was streaming in from the windows. Birds were chirping outside, echoing in the silence in the house.

Harry stood up and stretched, feeling several joints pop back into place and walked to the window. The sunlight revealed the beauty of the forest Harry didn't see last night. The house was surrounded by tall trees that towered over the house. Birds flittered around the branches.

The feeling of peace was interrupted by a swollen bladder. Harry spotted a door in the corner on the opposite wall from the stairs. He opened it and found a small half-bathroom with a toilet and sink.

"Thank Merlin," he muttered and shut the door behind him. He relieved himself and washed his hands. When he dried his hands on a towel on a rack, he looked in the mirror and gasped.

The scar on his forehead had reopened. A dark, red mark angrily traced the lighting pattern everyone in his world was so familiar with. The wound had swollen, but didn't not look infected. A musk of what Harry believed was some antibiotic ointment came from the wound.

Harry lightly touched the wound, wincing at the sting. He knew he shouldn't mess with it. Maybe Taiyang could help him rewrap the bandages he took off last night. He brushed his bangs back over the scar to hide it. But as he stared back at himself, he was greeted with a bigger shock.

His eye color had changed.

The emerald color was gone. Replacing it was now a red-gold color that reminded him of Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. The colors seemed to swirl together. Red seemed to be the dominant color, then gold seemed replace it. Harry didn't know if the color had a name, but it was mesmerizing. However, despite its beauty, Harry felt a pang of sadness. He no longer had the trait that was given to him by his mother.

"Rwarf. Rwarf."

The sudden barking made Harry jump. He opened the door and saw Zwei sitting down in front of the doorway. The dog looked at Harry, then hopped up and ran to the door that lead outside.

"You need out, boy?" Harry asked. Zwei answered with a bark. "Okay. Let's go."

Harry unlocked the door and the two walked outside. Zwei immediately rushed to the trees to do his business. Harry took a few steps away to see the house looked like on the outside. He gaped the at the very large, two-story cabin. A porch was to one side to what harry believed was kitchen. The chimney stacked raised only slightly above the red, metal roof. There were two flower bins that contained sunflowers. Finally, Harry could see what looked like a small shed on the other side of the house.

"Wow," Harry whispered. "This place is amazing."

Zweir, after finishing, walked back to the door. Harry let them both in and Zwei ran to the kitchen, Harry following. The dog scratched at cabinet near the stove and Harry found a bag of dog food. He filled up the dog's bowl with kibble, then refilled his water bowl too. Zwei barked his thanks and tucked in.

"Your welcome," said Harry. He looked around the kitchen. A large, yellow rug covered most of the kitchen floor and a table set for four was on top. There was a stove and sink complete with floor and overhead cabinets. A large, stainless-steel refrigerator was beside a doorway that led to a pantry. One side of the wall was lined with bookshelves. There was also a glass door that led outside to the porch. Beside the door was a shovel and other gardening tools.

Harry knew he shouldn't pry, but maybe he could make breakfast as way of thanks for helping him. Nobody else was up. Harry opened the cupboard above the counter and grabbed the flour, baking powder, and what looked like a cooking spray. He then opened the fridge and pulled eggs, milk, butter, jam and syrup from the shelves. He also grabbed a slab of ham.

In minutes, he had pancakes, eggs, and fried ham cooking on the stove. While the stove was like the ones back in his world, there was a subtle difference. It wasn't an electric stove, but it didn't produce gas either. When he turned the dials, red sparks seemed to shoot out before a nice cooking fire was emitted. Harry didn't know what it was and decided to ask about it later.

He turned off the stove and was reaching into the fridge for the orange juice when he heard someone behind him.

"Ummm….hello?"

He turned and saw a girl about his age standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She had black hair that had red highlights. She was only an inch or two shorter than him and was looking at him the most curious expression. She was wearing a complete set of pajamas that were dark gray with pink spots.

But what startled Harry was she had silver eyes.

"Um…good morning," Harry croaked. This girl was really cute. He set the orange juice on the counter and tried to smile. "You must be one of Taiyang's daughters. I'm Harry Potter, the poor bloke you rescued yesterday."

The girl smiled brightly. "I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you. Did you really cook breakfast?"

Harry rubbed his hair. "Well, I really wanted to thank everyone for taking care of me yesterday. I thought this was a great way of saying thanks."

"I'll say. This is awesome," Ruby giggled. "Do you need any help?"

"If you could get the plates and silverware that would be great. I'll get the glasses."

Ruby pulled five plates and forks from the cabinets and place next to the stove. Harry place the glasses, milk and juice on the kitchen table. Then they both served themselves a plate. Ruby grabbed three pancakes and piled the syrup on top of them while Harry watched. She blushed when she caught him staring.

"Sorry. I really like sweet stuff."

Harry chuckled. "That's okay. Just save some for everybody else."

Ruby smiled and began to eagerly eat. Harry followed suit, pouring salt and pepper on his eggs.

"So, where are you from?" asked Ruby around a mouthful of pancakes.

Harry froze, and then slowly put his fork down. He had a hard time already explaining everything to Taiyang and Qrow, he didn't know he should start telling everyone he met that he was from another world. While Ruby might believe him more than the adults, it still might be a longshot. He remembered Taiyang saying last night that he could have 'a walk around the island', so he started with that.

"I'm from off the island," Harry answered.

"From where? Are you from Vale or Mistral? I've never heard an accent like yours around Patch."

But before Harry could come up with an answer to this sweating interrogation, Taiyang walked into the kitchen, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday and scratching his belly from underneath his shirt. He didn't seem to notice them.

"Look, Dad. Harry made breakfast," said Ruby. "It's really good."

Taiyang froze, then looked at the two teens sitting at the table. He looked as though he completely forgot about last night and Harry's story. But then he put on a smile.

"Harry, you didn't have to do that," said Taiyang.

"It's my way of saying thanks for yesterday. It was no trouble," Harry answered.

"Well, thank you. It saves me from feeding these hungry animals this morning."

"Dad!" Ruby cried indignantly.

Taiyang chuckled as he fixed himself a plate and joined them at the table. He barely started when a voice came from the doorway.

"Okay, that food smells way too good to be dad's cooking," said a female voice. Harry looked up and felt his cheeks heat up.

An older girl was standing in the entrance wearing a pair of short shorts and an orange tank top with a heart symbol. She had long blonde hair that framed a pair of lilac eyes. She also more, ahem, developed that most girls he knew. He felt himself staring and turned back to his breakfast, hoping no one noticed him blushing.

"Harry made it," Ruby chirped happily. "And it's way better than dad's cooking."

The girl chuckled while Taiyang frowned. She made his way over to the counter and fixed herself a plate.

"So your name is Harry," the blonde girl asked as she sat down. Harry nodded, trying keep his eyes locked on hers. "I'm Yang. I had the great honor of carrying your skinny butt back home. You really should eat more and put some meat on those bones."

"Yang. Don't tease him," Ruby said as Harry blushed even redder.

"Oh, he knows it's in good fun," Yang said with a wink. "And I say we keep him if he can cook this well."

"I second," said Ruby.

Taiyang was laughing at how read Harry was turning. He laughed even harder when Harry tried scowling at him.

"Okay, girls. Finish your meals," Taiyang said, trying to spare the boy any more embarrassment. "Harry is going to need your help today. When you found him yesterday, he may have left something important behind in the meadow. You need to take him back and help him look for it."

"What did you lose," Ruby asked.

"Ummm…something special," Harry answered. Telling Ruby and Yang he left behind a magic wand seemed even more ridiculous than falling from a different world.

"Just what were you doing out in the forest anyway?" Yang asked. "Were you performing some kind of satanic ritual? Summoning demons or something like that?"

"Yang, that's enough," answered Taiyang before Harry could answer. He finished his eggs and took his plate to the sink. "I'll tell you later what happened. You and Ruby can do the dishes while Harry gets cleaned up."

Yang groaned while Harry looked down and his shirt and saw that it was actually covered in what looked like soot. Black patches of dust ran up his pant legs and onto his shirt. Dirt was also present.

 _How did I not notice that?_

"Come on, Harry. You can take a shower upstairs and I'll get some clean clothes," Taiyang said.

Harry nodded and put his empty plate into the sink, then followed Taiyang upstairs. Harry found himself in a long hallway with four different doors leading to different bedrooms. They passed one that had two beds.

"The girls share a room. Whenever Qrow visits, he sleeps in the guest room. My room is at the end of the hall."

"Qrow doesn't live here?" asked Harry.

"No. He's got a place at Signal Academy. He stays there when he's not visiting us or going away on missions."

"You said last night you both were teachers?"

Taiyang smiled as he stopped at a door in the middle of the hallway. "We are in a matter of speaking. I'll tell you more about our world when you get back. Right now, get cleaned up. Everything you need is in the cupboards and shower caddy. I'll bring you some clothes that should fit you."

Harry frowned. "But how am I going to explain myself to Yang and Ruby?"

"I'll tell the girls you were raised in a village outside of Vacuo. It's a remote region so it will buy into the story that you raised in isolation from any major villages. This way, you can ask a question when the girls tell you something you won't understand. I'll also tell them you can't remember anything over the past couple of days because of the injury to your head. If you want, you can tell them everything you want to when you get back. Hopefully after you find your wand."

"That sounds okay. And….thanks again. For everything," said Harry.

Taiyang smiled. "Sure thing, kid." He turned and walked back down the hallway. "Oh. Don't use Yang's shampoo. She'll punch you across the continent if you do."

Harry swallowed at that and went into the bathroom. It was styled like any other full bathroom with a toilet, bath with shower head, and two cabinet sinks with toothbrushes, toothpaste and hairspray. He grabbed a towel and washcloth from the cabinet, stripped down, and stepped into a warm, cascade of water.

Harry could tell which stuff was the girls, but he found it odd to see Taiyang's shampoo labeled as 'Samurai Shampoo'. When he used it, he winced a little as some of the suds ran into is scar.

He froze when he heard the door open.

"Harry, I'm leaving some of my old things on the sink. I think they'll fit."

"Thanks, Taiyang," said Harry.

After about 15 minutes, he stepped out and wrapped the towel around his waist. He unfurled the folded clothes on the sink. They looked like they once belonged to Taiyang. There was a brown pair of pants, a buttoned beige shirt, and a dark gray vest. There was also a belt, clean socks, and hopefully an unused pair of boxers.

Harry put them on, realizing they were a little bit big on him. But they were nothing compared to Dudley's cast offs he used to wear. The pants just barely fit him and he had to tuck the shirt in or else it would fall to his thighs.

Big or not, they were still better than anything Dudley every owned.

He went downstairs after trying (and failing) to tame his hair. When he reached the halfway down, he realized everyone was waiting at the door for him. However, the girls had changed clothes. Ruby was now wearing a black blouse underneath what looked like a black, strapless dress complete with a frilly skirt. The dress had red trimmings that matched her hair. She was also wearing tights and black combat boots. Finally, there seemed to be a large, red box attached to her back, just underneath what looked like a red cape and hood. Yang was wearing a brown jacket that showed much of her midriff along with what looked like her yellow tank top. A matching brown skirt was around her waist along with a pair of brown boots that went to her calves. She also had an interesting choice in large, gold bracelets that were on both hands. Finally, she had an orange scarf along with matching orange socks.

 _There seems to be an interesting concept of fashion in this world_ , Harry thought.

Ruby spotted Harry and smiled. "Nice outfit, Harry!"

"Dad, why are you trying to embarrass Harry with your old hunting outfit?" asked Yang with a raised eyebrow at her father.

Taiyang frowned. "I'll have you know I looked good in the old days."

"Key word there is old, Dad."

Ruby and Harry laughed while Taiyang pouted. He then held up a pair of old boots.

"Here, they may be 'old'," Taiyang said with a mock glare at Yang, "but they should still fit you. They used to be Qrow's."

Harry thanked Taiyang and put on the boots. They were worn, but still surprising comfortable. Ruby suddenly grabbed his hand when he was done.

"Ready to go?" she asked. She had a bright smile on her face. "I can't wait for you to see Patch."

Harry remember the word earlier but couldn't place it. "Patch? Who's Patch?" asked Harry.

The girls' eyebrows rose in confusion before Taiyang intervened.

"Girls, remember? Raised in Vacuo? No memory of the last few days?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I forgot," Ruby said. She had a miserable expression on her that tore at Harry's heart.

Harry gave the girl a small smile. "It's okay, Ruby. You're just going to have to teach me everything you know."

The girl brightened and pulled Harry towards the door. "Then let's get started."

Harry marveled at the strength the small girl had as she dragged him out the door and down the pathway towards the road. He turned back to see Yang following and Taiyang standing in the doorway.

"Be careful! Remember, happy thoughts!" Taiyang called from the doorway.

Harry didn't know what he meant by that, but it was hard not to be happy as he, Ruby and Yang walked down a dirt pathway into the woods. Trees as tall as the pines in the Forbidden forest surrounded them.

"So you really don't know where you are?" asked Ruby as she continued to pull him towards their destination.

"No. I'm completely lost," Harry admitted.

"Well, don't worry. Ruby Rose will be your personal tour guide through the island of Patch!"

Harry smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. He turned to Yang. "Is she always like this?"

Yang smiled. "Yep. Sometimes it's refreshing. Other times you just want to smother her with a pillow while she sleeps."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister, causing Harry to laugh. Then she looked at Harry. "So you really have no idea how you got here?"

Harry shook his head. He hoped he didn't give himself away too soon. "No. I really have no idea how I got here. I'm just glad you two found me."

"You're really lucky, you know that," said Yang. "You could have been eaten by a Beowolf."

Harry nodded even though he had no clue what a Beowolf was.

"Is there any way we can contact you family?" asked Ruby innocently.

Harry froze, surprising the girls. Until he found his wand, he still would have to go with Taiyang's story. Anything more and it would probably just lead to trouble and confustion. But he supposed he could tell some truth.

"My parents died when I was just a baby," Harry said thickly. "Since then, I've been staying with a family who, to be honest, could really care less if I was around or not. Probably wouldn't even care if I was dead."

Yang looked sick and Ruby brought her hands to her mouth, looking horror-stricken.

"I'm sorry," Ruby whispered. "That's just awful. How can…?"

Harry walked on, feeling his throat tighten. "It's okay. I'm over it."

Ruby and Yang were still for a moment before hurrying to catch up with him. Ruby slipped her hand into Harry's, trying to provide some comfort. Harry gave her a small smile, which she returned.

The trio walked in silence for about 15 minutes. Harry was beginning to feel really at peace, despite the situation. But sometimes, he caught the girls looking in the forest with calculating eyes. Harry didn't know what they were looking for. Maybe those wolves they told him about.

* * *

"We're here," announced Ruby some time later.

Harry looked around the area. They had arrived at would was a small opening away from the trees to the edge of a cliff. A small meadow stretched before them before dropping sharply off the cliff. Harry could see more forest stretch below him. He could even see what looked like the ocean in the distance.

Ruby led them to the center of the meadow before stopping.

"This is where we found you."

Harry looked at the mirror image of what he saw last night on Taiyang's Scroll. A perfect circle of charred grass, maybe 5 meters wide. Some of the grass had been burned completely away.

But no wand.

"So, find what you're looking for?" asked Yang, her hand on her hips.

Harry shook his head and walked around the circle. "No. I don't see it anywhere."

"Just what are we looking for?"

Harry wracked his brain, trying to find any excuse to be looking for a magic wand.

"A rod," he said at the top of his head.

Yang looked at him with a shocked expression. "A rod? We came out here looking for a rod?"

"Is it some kind of weapon?" asked Ruby.

Harry nodded. "It's what I use to defend myself."

"Does it extend into a staff? Does it use Dust? How does it work?" Ruby asked with a sort of mad gleam in her eye.

"Just a rod about 11 inches long," Harry explained. He didn't know what the heck she was talking about.

The girls looked at him for several moments before Yang sighed. "Alright. We better start looking. Consider it payment for breakfast."

Harry grinned as the three spread out over the clearing, taking small steps and scanning the ground. For nearly 10 minutes, they searched the meadow. With each minute, Harry felt the sick feeling in his stomach grow. He hoped his wand didn't burn to ashes from whatever scorched the ground.

Soon, he found himself carefully walking along the edge of the cliff. Flying over the years had conquered any fear he had of heights, but he didn't know how stable the ridge was. Harry was praying that if his wand was here in this meadow, that it didn't fall into the forest below when he suddenly came to a headstone.

Summer Rose. Thus Kindly, I Scatter.

Harry felt a pang in his heart as he realized he was at grave of Ruby and Yang's mother. There was no date of birth or death, but there was a very lifelike rose carved into the headstone. The ground in front of the headstone was worn away to the dirt. The girls must have spent a lot of time here to wear away the grass.

Then he spotted his wand lying on the bottom of the headstone.

Harry gasped quietly. How his wand ended up here of all places was a mystery but right now, Harry didn't care. He found one of his most precious items.

"I found it!" Harry called over his shoulder. The girls stopped looking and began to hurry towards him.

Harry slowly reached down and picked up his wand. He turned towards the girls as they stopped in front of him.

"That's it?" asked Yang skeptically. "Doesn't really look like much."

"The best weapons usually don't," Ruby eagerly answered. She was gazing at his wand with a measuring eye. She wondered what secrets it had.

Harry didn't answer them. Something felt wrong. The usual warmth he felt when he held his wand was gone. No tingling sensation ran up his arm or fire felt in his fingertips. Also, it seemed to feel lighter that it used to. Harry began to turn his wand over in his hands.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ruby.

"I don't know," Harry answered with worry in his voice. He then noticed a slight, blackened smudge at the very tip of the wand. It would have been hardly noticeable, but Harry knew his wand. That wasn't there before and his finger couldn't scrap it off. It almost looked like a burn. When he turned his wand, to look at the center, he gasped.

His wand was hollow.

It was like someone took a small, long drill and hollowed out his wand from the tip. It was so deep that he couldn't see how far it went. This was why it felt lighter.

Harry couldn't believe it. He grasped his wand and pointed it away from Ruby and Yang.

"Lumos."

Nothing. Not even a spark.

"Lumos!"

Nothing again. He gripped his wand tighter, ignoring the pain he was beginning to feel.

"LUMOS!"

Finally, a spark of light emerged from the tip. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Harry screamed when a shooting pain erupted in his hands and he dropped his wand. Glowing, blue smoke seemed to rise out of his fingertips and disappear into the air.

"Harry what's wrong?" Ruby asked. She gripped his arm and watched as the smoke vanished. "What was that stuff?"

Harry didn't answer her. He stared as his hand, feeling more lost and desperate than ever.

"It's gone. It's gone," he whispered.

"What's gone?" asked Ruby. Her voice was filled with concern.

"My wand. My magic. It's all gone."

"Your magic?"

"Ruby, maybe we should go get dad," Yang said. She was looking at Harry with caution. He sounded like was going a bit crazy and she didn't want her sister around that.

But before anybody could say anything else, several loud growls echoed across the meadow. The teens looked towards the trees and could see several dark shapes with glowing red eyes staring at them from the shadow of the trees. Harry's heart froze in his throat. They eyes. They were staring at them with pure rage. Desperation. Hunger.

"Beowolves," Ruby whispered.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Creatures of Grimm. They must have been drawn here," answered Ruby.

"Are you telling that even isolated from the villages, you don't know what Grimm are?" asked Yang. A look of confusion on her face. "How sheltered of a life have you lived?"

The creatures began to slowly stalk through the trees and into the sunlight. The seemed to be about 2 and a half meters tall; a couple of them even 3. They resembled wolves, but stood erect on their hind legs. Their front paws ended with long, sharp claws that looked like white daggers. Black fur cover their bodies while what seemed to be black smoke wafted from their fur. They also had white bones extending out of their knees, elbows and ribcages. But what startled Harry the most was the white skull with red markings on the creatures' faces.

Harry instinctively backed up, but stopped when his foot almost went over the edge of the cliff. He realized too late the creatures had them trapped.

"What are we going to do?" asked Harry.

But instead of having the fear he felt, the two sisters looked at him and smiled.

"It's time to kick some butt," giggled Yang.

Yang pushed her hands down and the yellow bracelets seemed to enlarge and cover both her forearms and wrists. Two small, hollow rods popped open near her knuckles. She moved into a position that Harry recognized as a fighter's stance. Ruby pulled the red, thin box from her back and spun it. To Harry's disbelief, the box seemed to unfold piece by piece. A long pole stretched out that had a trigger guard and a scope attached to it. The rest folded and stretched into a curve. There was a loud clink and several blades popped from the curve. Harry realized Ruby was holding a giant, red scythe.

"Bloody hell," Harry whispered.

One Beowolf howled and the rest charged. There were two separate bangs and the two girls were propelled forwards. Two bullet casings fell in front of Harry. One rifle and the other a shotgun. He realized they used gunfire to charge against the creatures.

Yang punched the first one on the skull, shattering it completely. She then stepped on headless body and backflipped into the air. She gave three quick punches and each punch produced a red projectile that landed in front of the creatures. The following explosion disrupted their charge and knocked them off balance. Yang fired above her head and used the momentum to dropkick onto a Beowolf's spine. Another Beowulf jumped at her back, but she punch-fired an elbow into its snout then uppercutted it under the chin. The Beowolf flew into the air and landed beside Harry. The creature then began to dissolve into a black mist.

Ruby used the force of her previous gunshot to swing the scythe and completely slice a Beowulf in half. She swung again and pierced another in the back, pinning it to the ground. She then began to swing her body like a gymnast around her pinned weapon and kick several Bewolves away. Ruby fired again, propelling herself into the air. Her scythe transformed again. The bladed folded into itself, but the pole and trigger guard remained. Ruby then fired several shots at the creatures, scoring a few headshots. Her scythe transformed back, and then fired another shot. She used the recoil to turn herself into a deadly pinwheel and slice several other Beowolf heads off.

Harry watched the two girls fight with awe. Never in his life had he seen such amazing abilities and weapons. Not even on television. And these girls, even so young, were so talented at fighting. They looked as though they have been doing it for years.

"Harry!"

Harry snapped out of his fascination too late to see a Beowolf break away from the girls and pounce on him. He instinctively blocked himself with his arms. The creature's claws tore through his left arm and knocked him to his left, away from the cliff. Harry rolled through the grass, his arm on fire and numb. He pushed himself up with his right arm and back onto his feet. Looking down at his arm, he saw three large gashes in arm and they were bleeding profusely.

"Harry!" yelled Ruby. She tried to run towards him but was blocked off by three Beowolves. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer as his blood dripped heavily down his arm. He stared at the creature, which was crouching down for another pounce. He automatically reached into his pocket for his wand, but then realized it would do no good. It was still on the ground where he left it and with no magic, he couldn't do anything.

A feeling began to bubble within Harry. It wasn't fear of the Beowolf. It wasn't helplessness of being undefended or losing magic. It wasn't even sadness of being trapped in a world where he had no idea what to do.

Right now, all he felt was calm. He felt courage. He felt strength. The pain in his arm ebbed away until his body felt invincible. Harry didn't know where this serene tranquility was coming from, but he suddenly felt as though he could take the creature bare handed.

The Beowolf pounced. Harry, calm and collected, swung his arm forward and punched the Beowolf in the side of the head. For a brief moment, Harry's fist was emblazed with a golden red fire. And the strength he used last night to accidently knock Taiyang into the couch was now sending the creature back flying to its pack.

Everything stopped. Ruby, Yang and the Beowolves ceased their fights and watched a Beowolf slammed into the middle of the meadow. It howled with pain as the fire from Harry's fist was now engulfing the Beowolf's head, then rapidly spread along its body. Soon after, it dissolved into a gold shower of dust.

For several moments, nothing moved. Then, there was a howl from one of the Beowolves and they all ran back into the forest. Ruby and Yang watched them go before slowly turning to Harry. Their weapons folded back up into their compact conditions.

Harry was slightly panting as the girls walked back to him. The look in the eyes was a mixture of disbelief and awe. Ruby seemed to be at a loss for words.

"That was totally awesome!" Yang yelled. The smile on her face was huge. "Was that your semblance?"

Before Harry could answer, the peaceful tranquility he was experiencing left him and his arm burned like never before. He grasped it, feeling the blood leak between his fingers as he sat down.

"Whoa, you're bleeding," said Yang as she and Ruby knelt beside him. "Why isn't your aura healing you?"

"Yang, he probably doesn't know what aura is. He probably wouldn't have it unlocked," said Ruby.

Yang frowned. "But he used his semblance against that Beowulf." She turned to him. "Right? That cool gold fire. That's your semblance."

"I don't know what semblance is, okay?!" Harry growled through clenched teeth. His outburst made the girls jump. "I don't know semblances are, I don't know what aura is and I've never seen weapons like yours. How the hell can you two jump in the air like that? How can you wield a giant scythe that probably weight three times as you do? And how the bloody hell how are you trained to fight monsters?"

Yang and Ruby stared in shock at Harry. He pulled off his vest and used it to hopefully stop the bleeding.

"Harry, aura is the manifestation of your soul," Ruby explained. "It's in everything alive. Humans, Faunus, animals. Everyone has aura."

"Well, I don't, alright." Harry threw the blood-soaked vest away and cradled his arm against his chest. All of a sudden, all off the emotions he felt the past few days hit him all at once. In about 24 hours, he had experienced so much. The vision of his godfather being tortured, his friends hunted down by Death Eaters because of his stupidity, falling into another world and worst of all, finding his destroyed wand.

For the first time in a long time, he began to cry.

"I'm not from this world," he said through his tears. He placed his head against his knees, still cradling his arm. "I fell through a doorway in a place I should not have been in and wound up here. I've never heard of Vale, Vacuo, Patch or any of the other places you told me. I don't know what aura is or semblances. I've never seen Grimm or any kind of creatures like them. And people can't do what you two just did. I don't even have a clue what I just did to that Beowolf!"

The two sisters did not say anything. They didn't know what to do as Harry continued.

"Like I told you dad and Qrow, I come from a world of magic. That rod we were looking for was my wand. I've had it since I was 11 years old. But now it's broken. The core that powered my wand is gone. Now, I can't use my magic anymore. What's more, my friends might be dead because of my boneheaded actions. I lead them into a trap and for all I know, they might have been killed because I had to play a bloody hero!"

After his rant, Harry felt drained. All of the pent up emotions he kept just burst through like an explosion. Now, all he felt was emptiness. Even the pain in his arm had lessened. After a few moments, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ruby.

"I believe you."

Harry stared at her. "Just like that?"

Ruby gave a sad smile. "Why not? You said you told dad and Uncle Qrow last night. Since you're still with us and not in the loony bin, they believed your story too."

"Yeah," Yang chuckled. "Dad wouldn't have let you hang out with us if you were crazy. Hell, he doesn't let any boys our age into the house."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle too. It seems that Taiyang was one of those overprotective fathers that Fred and George always hoped not to meet.

Ruby stood up and held a hand to Harry. "If you don't have your aura unlocked, then we need to get you back to the house and take care of your injuries."

Harry smiled and grasped her hand with his uninjured one. Yang got to his other side and lifted him up under his armpit. Strangely, Harry's arm didn't even strain when Yang lifted him up. Then Yang gasped and let go of his arm.

"What the hell?" she muttered. She was staring at his arm. Harry looked down and gasped as well.

His arm was completely healed. The three, large claw marks that were only there minutes ago had vanished. His blood had still remained, fresh and wet.

"I thought you said you didn't have your aura unlocked," Yang told him.

"I don't," reasoned Harry. He looked at his arm and wiped the leftover blood away. Nothing. Not even a scar. The blood was still wet that it ran between his fingers.

But when he looked closer, he realized that there was something else. There was a clear liquid running up to his elbow. It was warm. He wiped his watery eyes in hopes of seeing clearer, then froze.

Those were his tears. The clear liquid was his tears. He cried on his arm when he cradled against his chest earlier.

 _No. That can't be. It's not possible. But how…._

"Harry, did you figure something out?" asked Ruby when she saw him freeze.

"I might have, but it doesn't seem possible," he admitted.

"What?" asked Yang.

"Well…let's get back to the house. I'll explain everything to you on the way back."

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed my newest chapter. Please let me know how I'm doing.


	3. The Clarification

First, I wanted to apologize for late update. It's hard to update chapters when you don't have a laptop. It's even harder when you work nights and can only use the public library's computer.

Second, this chapter was difficult for me to right because of how much I wanted the characters to interact with their worlds. A lot of explaining is going to be crammed together. I can only hope everyone enjoys the new chapter.

* * *

It was around 2:00 by the time Harry, Ruby, and Yang got back to the cabin. The trio had taken their time walking back while Harry told Ruby and Yang the same story he told Taiyang and Qrow last night. The girls had listen with complete attention and fascination has Harry described his world.

Yang crossed her arms as she stared at Harry. "You mean to tell me you come from a world of magic where you're hunted by a blood-purifying maniac and his cronies in which escaping them you fell through a magical doorway and landed here in our world?"

Harry frowned, but nodded. While those weren't the exact words he would use to describe his situation, it was the truth.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Huh. That's a thing."

Ruby scowled at her sister. "Yang, you're making it sound like Harry is making stuff up."

Then Yang did a complete 180, rounding back on Harry.

"Are there actually dragons, elves and unicorns in your world?" Yang asked with glee in her voice.

"Yes," said Harry awkwardly. Yang seemed to be more fascinated with magical creatures than magic itself or the fact he arrived from another world.

"That's awesome!" Yang yelled.

Ruby seemed to be just as excited as Yang, but was holding her composure better. Not much though.

"Is there such a thing as transforming your enemies into toads?" she asked with her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"Yes, there is," Harry answered. Then he smiled. "One man actually enjoyed changing people into ferrets."

"Cool," whispered Ruby with awe. Then she frowned. "But you said you can't use your magic anymore?"

Harry shook his head and showed her his wand. "My wand was powered by a phoenix feather. As you can see, it's gone. Furthermore, the magic within my body seems to have been drained. Trying to force it out like I did earlier made it feel like I'm pushing a marble through my nerves."

"So is that what you trying to do earlier? Waving your wand and saying 'Lumos'?" asked Ruby.

"Lumos is a basic light spell," Harry explained. "If it succeeded, it was to conjure a ball of light at the end of my wand. However, as you saw, I could barely manage only a spark."

"So what does it mean?" asked Yang.

"It means I can't use magic anymore. I'll have to find new ways of defending myself," Harry sighed.

Yang stopped. "Wait a minute. If you can't use magic and you haven't unlocked your aura, then what the heck was that golden fire you punched that Beowolf with?"

"Yeah, it seemed to actually burn that Beowolf. Fire Dust can burn Grimm but not as deadly or effective has your fire," said Ruby.

Harry looked down at his hands. The fire had that once emblazed his hand had caused no damage to him. In the heat of battle, he didn't even feel the burn. He just reacted by instinct.

"I really don't know," answered Harry. "It may be some of the changes my body has made since I've arrived here."

"Wait. Some of the changes?" asked Yang.

Harry turned and looked at both sisters. "Well, for one thing, I used to wear glasses. I was practically blind without them. But since I've been here, I can see clear as day without them. It may also explain why my eye color has changed as well."

"Wait, wait," said Yang as she made a stopping motion with her hands. "Okay, you were blind as a bat but now you can see. And to top it off your eyes were a different color?"

Harry nodded and plucked a leaf off a nearby branch. "That's right. My eye color was once this shade," Harry explained, showing the girls the green leaf.

Ruby stared intently at the leaf while Yang shook her head.

"Well that's a relief," Yang said. "When I first got a good look at you, I thought you might have been Uncle Qrow's child from his wild days he tells me and Ruby."

Harry blanched while Ruby laughed. Harry was about to deny it, but then he remember Qrow had jet-black hair like him and red eyes. Now that he thought about it, it probably wouldn't have been such a farfetched story.

"So do you have any other questions?" asked Harry as the trio started walking back to the cabin.

"I have a few more, but I say we want until after lunch. I'm starving!" Yang proclaimed as she patted her stomach. "Kicking butt really builds up an appetite."  
"I have one, if you don't mind," Ruby said softly. Harry smiled and nodded at her to continue. "What are you going to do now?"

"I really don't know," Harry said frowning. "Your dad and Qrow said magic only existed in fairytales, so I really don't have anyone to help me regain my lost magic. And I'm guessing you don't have any magical doorways to other worlds."

"Not that I know of," Ruby said. She put a hand to her chin. "Atlas may. They're always doing weird stuff like that."

"Really?" asked Harry hopefully.

"NO!" Yang yelled as she pulled Ruby's hood over her head. "Atlas focuses on military machines and technology. They don't work on dimension doors."

Ruby pulled her hood off. "But we saw it on T.V. once."

Yang slapped a hand over her eyes. "Ruby that was a sci-fi parody a bunch of movie students made."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?! It had that based on true events sign at the beginning!"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the two sisters arguing. Despite the situation Harry found himself in, he couldn't help but enjoy his time with Ruby and Yang. Maybe it was the fact they accepted his story without any disbelief. That might have been a little naïve to say the least. However, Harry was grateful for any acceptance. Especially after the horrible year he had at Hogwarts.

The girls were still arguing as they turned down the driveway back to the cabin. It was then Harry heard what sounded like a crash from inside the cabin.

Harry held up an arm to stop the sisters. "Yang, Ruby, did you hear that?"

The girls stopped and listened. There was another crash and what was the distinct sound of Taiyang yelling. Ruby and Yang got their weapons ready and ran to the front door, Yang throwing it open and rushing inside. Ruby and Harry followed.

The living room was empty, but it looked like a hurricane had blown through. The cushions on the couch were misplaced, the chair was overturned, the coffee table was on the other side of the room and a lamp lay shattered on the floor. But there was no sign of Taiyang.

"Dad?" Yang called out.

There was a loud clang from the kitchen and Taiyang ran back into the living room. Zwei was at his heels, barking up at him. Taiyang seemed to be swinging his right hand awkwardly in the air, even spinning around in a circle. Then he put his hand on the floor and stepped on it with his feet and pulled. He seemed to be trying to pull off his fingers.

"Dad, what are you doing?" asked Ruby.

"He's finally cracked," whispered Yang in an exasperated voice.

"No I haven't cracked!" yelled Taiyang. He stepped off his fingers and showed the teens his hand. "Get this thing off!"

The three looked and Harry gasped when he saw what was wrong. There, growling viciously, was his wallet. The brown, furry wallet latched itself on Taiyang's middle and index fingers. A small trail of blood was running down Taiyang's hand.

"What is that?" asked Ruby.

"That's my wallet," Harry said meekly. The girls looked at him with confusion. Harry reached out and stroked his wallet in three clockwise circles that Hagrid had shown him when he couldn't figure out how it worked. The wallet froze and fell from Taiyang's fingers, landing softly onto the floor. Zwei growled at it menacingly.

Taiyang grabbed the bandana from his arm and wrapped it around his fingers. He tried not to whimper as Ruby and Yang laughed hilariously at him. Ruby was actually leaning on her scythe as she tried to catch her breath.

"Sorry about that," Harry apologized as he put his wallet back into his pocket.

"What the hell was that?" Taiyang demanded.

"It was a gift from a friend. It's charmed to bite intruders if it's not rubbed a certain way. I'm completely forgot about it."  
Ruby and Yang stopped laughing long enough to stare at Harry.

"Charmed? You mean magically charmed?" asked Ruby with wide eyes.

Harry nodded and pulled his wallet back out. Ruby carefully reached for it with a finger. Before she could touch it, the wallet began to growl a warning.

"Wow. It's like it's almost alive," Yang said. Unlike Ruby, she poked it. The wallet took a vicious snap at her finger, exposing two large fangs. It didn't faze her though. "Cool."

"Oh, yeah. Real cool," Taiyang muttered as he squeezed the bandana to stop the bleeding. "I'm going to kill Qrow."

"What did he do?" asked Ruby.

"He called and told me to re-check Harry's wallet to see if there was any I.D. in it. That jerk. He already knew about it. Probably having a good laugh right now."

"I'm sorry about that," Harry apologized. "I probably should have warned you about my stuff earlier."  
Taiyang didn't say anything and walked into the kitchen. He ran his injured hand under the faucet, cleaning the way the blood. The teens followed him.

"Where is Uncle Qrow?" asked Ruby.

"He had another mission this morning. He's going to be gone for a while. It's in Mistral."

"Again?" asked Ruby sadly.

"Orders. Did you three find what you were looking for?" asked Taiyang.

"I did. However…" Harry hesitantly started.

"What?"

Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket and placed onto the table. Taiyang and the girls stared at it as Harry took a breath.

"Something happened at the meadow where we found it. Something that lead to me telling Ruby and Yang about my world a little earlier than planned."

"So you know," Taiyang said to his daughters.

Ruby nodded. "About Harry being from another world and his magic? He told us. And we believe him."

Taiyang snorted. "Well, I'm still having trouble. Although, that wallet with the teeth is bringing me a little bit closer. Yang, can you get the first-aid kit from the bathroom? The stupid teeth got me before my aura blocked it."

Yang nodded and went to leave, only to stop and look curiously at Harry.

"Wait, couldn't you…?" she started but then drifted off as she pointed to her eyes.

Harry and Ruby looked at her with confusion before Ruby squeaked and clapped her hands together.

"Harry, your tears. That would heal Dad and convince him about your abilities."

"His what?" asked Taiyang. "Girls, I'm bleeding and my aura isn't kicking in as quick as I want to. This isn't the time for jokes."

They didn't answer. Harry took a deep breath and walked over to Taiyang. He grabbed the man's injured hand and brought it close to his face.

"What are you doing?" Taiyang asked, his eyes showing his discomfort at his hand being held.

"Just don't freak out," Harry told him.

Harry saw the wounds. Two, deep puncture marks on both his index and middle finger. The fangs had gone clear through. When he saw the wounds, Harry's eyes began to mist over without even feeling any emotion. Soon, several tears poured down his cheeks and landed on Taiyang's wounds. Taiyang immediately pulled his hand back, casting a suspicious glare at Harry.

"Just what the hell are you doing? That isn't sanitary," he said.

"Dad, just wait," Yang said. "Like he said, something happened while we were out."

"What happened?"

Yang pointed to her father's hand. "Just look."

Taiyang looked at his hand and was shocked to see his wounds closing. In seconds, the holes had healed. His fingers still had blood, but there was no wound. Not even a scar.

"Wha-?" he said stupidly.

"Harry's tears can heal," Ruby chirped happily. "We were attacked by Beowolves and Harry was injured. When he cried on his arm, he was healed."

Taiyang looked up at the kids. "Wait, what?"

Harry wiped his eyes. "Maybe we should start from the beginning."

* * *

While Taiyang made lunch, Harry and Ruby explained what happened in the meadow near Summer's grave. Taiyang listened intently while Yang watched with fascination, as though she had heard the story already. Harry continued telling the story even when Taiyang passed out plates of sandwiches and soup. Ruby even added her own views in between gulps of soup.

"…and then we come home to find your fingers getting eating by Harry's wallet," Ruby finished with a wave of her spoon.

Taiyang reached across the table and picked up the wand. He gave rolled it around his hands, even giving it a wave. Then he placed it back down.

"So, you're wand's core is gone and possibly your magic?" he asked Harry. "What's more, you have better eyesight, strength, healing tears, and even gold fire. However, you haven't had you aura unlocked."

Harry nodded. "Before I arrived here in your world, I've never even heard of aura or semblances. Could my aura have been unlocked when I arrived?"

Taiyang placed his napkin on his plate and stood up. "Let's find out. Yang, go get Qrow's large scroll. Ruby, grabbed the aura sensor from the hallway closet."

The girls left and Harry followed Taiyang out of the kitchen door to the backyard. He placed Harry in a small clearing just a few meters before they entered the woods. Barely a minute later, Yang and Ruby joined them with the items Taiyang requested. Yang gave her father a white device and Taiyang opened what was larger scroll than the one he used last night. He took the item from Ruby, which looked like a floodlight, and placed in front of Harry. The girls stood beside their father while he furiously tapped on the scroll's screen.

"Ok, Harry, this won't hurt at all. What I'm going to do is scan you to see if you have any aura. Since Yang and Ruby have already unlocked theirs, my scroll will automatically measure their levels without the use of the sensor. But since you never been scanned, your aura levels, if you have any, will not be picked up."

Harry nodded, following along a little bit with what he was saying. "So what do I do?"

Taiyang suddenly held the scroll to his eye level. "Smile." Harry had only an instant to put one a smile before there was a chirp from the scroll and Taiyang brought it back down. Harry saw his picture pop up on the thin screen.

"Try not to wiggle," Ruby said as she looked over her father's elbow.

"Okay, ready?" asked Taiyang. Harry nodded and Taiyang pressed a button on the screen. "Here we go."  
The sensor beeped before it projected a blue light over Harry. It slowly rose, scanning Harry from his feet to his head, the lowered slowly back down. There was a moment when nothing happened before a there was a beep. Taiyang looked at the screen and frowned.

"Nothing." he said. He turned to his girls. "Are you sure he was using his semblance earlier?"

Yang waved her hands above her head. "Of course! He punched a Beowolf in the snout with his fist covered in gold and red fire! I know what I saw!"

Taiyang pointed his finger at the screen. "Well, it's saying 'no aura detected'. Unless Qrow is getting cheap with his scroll purchases, you must have been seeing things."

Ruby approached Harry while Taiyang and Yang were arguing. "Harry, do you think you can produce your fire again?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I'm sure how I did the first time. It was kind of a spur of the moment kind of thing."

Ruby smiled. "I understand. But can you try?"

Harry sighed and held his hand, palm up. He didn't even know what to do or even how his flames even worked. Yang and Taiyang stopped arguing as the watched Harry's movements. Harry focused on trying to conjure up a flame for several moments with no results. He grunted with frustration and put his hand down.

"I can't," he murmured. "I don't know even where to begin."

"Well, think back," interjected Yang. "What were you feeling when you faced that Beowolf earlier?"

"I felt…." Harry trailed off as he remembered his fight. "Strong. I felt invincible. It was like my fear left me and I could take on the Beowolf barehanded. Kind of like an instinct. When I realized my wand was gone, I had to fight….using my own….power?"

Harry suddenly felt a tingle of the feeling he had earlier. He cupped his hand out again and tried focusing on his feelings. He tried to imagine his life was in immediate danger and that he had the courage to face his enemy, yet was calm enough to focus.

A small red-gold flame sparked into his palm, no bigger than a candle flame. But as Harry's breathing was under control, the flame steadily grew until his fist was emblazed with small inferno. Harry marveled at the fact his hand was on fire, yet didn't feel any pain.

Everyone else was staring at Harry with shock. Their shock escalated when Taiyang glanced down at the scroll.

"Still nothing," he announced.

"How is that possible?" Yang said. "That's obviously a semblance he's using. How can the sensor not get a reading?"

"Maybe it's broken," Ruby suggested as she glanced at the sensor on the ground.

"No, it's working," said Taiyang. He folded the scroll into its compact form. "This is something else. Something more than aura."

Harry's control over his fire was lost and it burned out. He kept staring at his hand, wondering about the power he now possessed.

"What is aura?" Harry asked them. He thought he should finally get that question answered.

Taiyang sighed and picked up the sensor. "I'll make some tea. We're in for a long afternoon."

* * *

It was a long afternoon. But a lot of questions had been answered.

Harry sat on the couch in the living room, trying to absorb everything he learned over the past few hours. His brain was divided into no believing everything he learned, because of the impossibility, and accepting the truth, for it could only explain what's happening.

While Harry sat with his thoughts, Taiyang asked Ruby and Yang to help with dinner. While it was not necessary to help, Taiyang told the girls Harry needed some time to himself. The boy needed time to understand his situation and while friends could help him adjust, Harry needed to come to grips with his new reality on his own.

However, Taiyang, Ruby, and Yang all agreed and told Harry that they will help him in any way they can. Harry thanked them and went into the living room to think.

 _So, Remnant, huh?_ He thought.

When they showed Harry the map of Remnant, Harry was amazed at how this world looked. With only a few large continents and several large and small islands. They showed him the continents of Sanus, Anima, Solitas, Menagerie, as well as the important islands of Vytal and the tiny island of Patch, where they resided off the kingdom of Vale. There were kingdoms on each continent: Vale, Vacuo, Mistral and Atlas.

These were the four major kingdoms in the world, each with its own cultures, governments, lifestyles, and armies. Each kingdom had its council that made the decisions for its kingdom, except Atlas, which its government, military, and academies were one in the same.

Then they got to the Grimm.

Harry was shocked to realize the attack on the teens earlier was a common occurrence throughout the world. The creatures of Grimm were numerous in numbers and species. They showed Harry several different pictures of Grimm species. They were similar to several animals in Harry's world, like wolves, boars, bears and crows. There were even some species that had no resemblance to anything animal-like at all.

Harry learned for a long as mankind as existed, Grimm have existed as well. Each species seemed so determined to destroy each other. Humans had only their weapons to defend themselves, but eventually discovered aura. Aura was the manifestation of the soul. Harry was shocked to learn that warriors in Remnant have actually learned to harness their own auras. Aura can be used for a number of powers with the proper training, the most common being a protective shield over a warrior's body. Other powers include healing, power, speed, and endurance. However, you could only use aura if you had another person unlock it for you with their aura and an simple incantation.

Semblances, what Yang called his fire, was a special ability unique to an aura's user. It was the proper manifestation of aura. While all living things with a soul had aura, a semblance, properly harnessed, was different for every warrior.

Ruby and Yang showed Harry their semblances. Ruby's was speed. She zipped to the end of the driveway and back, quicker than anything Harry had ever seen before. Ruby was so quick the only thing he could really follow was the trail of rose petals that floated behind her.

Yang's semblance was using the damage she took from her opponents and using it to retaliate twice as hard back to them. Since she didn't have an opponent, she merely activated it. Her body and hair was surrounded by a glowing, yellow aura and her eyes turned red. Similar to her uncle's.

But despite their auras and semblances, Grimm were still a dangerous threat to the world. Aura could be depleted from taking the blunt force of fights. Using a semblance would waste any aura just as quickly as injuries, so everyone would have to be careful when using their semblances.

Harry felt guilty when he found out that Grimm can sense the negative emotions people emit. The Beowolves must have sensed his frustrations earlier when he found his wand and drawn them to him, Ruby and Yang. He apologized and everyone accepted it with no hard feelings.

Then they got to Dust.

Dust was crystalized energy of the elements. There was fire, electricity, water, wind, earth. Others included uncommon or combinations, like ice, steam, and gravity. Mankind found out they could combine their auras with Dust and harness the elements themselves. It was this usage that helped mankind turn the tide with their war with the Grimm. Soon they were able to harness dust for everyday uses. Taiyang opened the stove Harry used this morning and showed him the fine, crystalized powder of fire Dust.

Yang and Ruby both used Dust rounds with their weapons. Yang used shotgun rounds while Ruby used rifle rounds for her sniper. Dust rounds were common usage with military and law enforcement because you didn't need any aura to use them.

Soft footsteps broke Harry from his recollections. He turned to see Ruby slowly approaching him. She gave him an apologetic smile when he caught her.

"Sorry. I know dad said to give you some space," she admitted sheepishly.

Harry smiled at her and moved to the other side of the couch. "It's okay. Have a seat."

Ruby grinned and sat down on the other side of the couch. The two gazed at each other for a moment. It hard for him to imagine that this tiny, cheerful girl was basically a warrior-in-training.

Or as she and Yang put it, Huntresses.

Harry learned that Signal academy is a combat school. Taiyang actually taught students hand-to-hand combat techniques. He was a fighter, plain and simple. But he was also the schools Geography teacher. Qrow was the weapons specialist and history teacher. However, Qrow was away more than Taiyang because he volunteered for more missions around the kingdom. Yang learned all of her techniques from her father while Ruby learned how to use a scythe from her uncle.

While there were several small combat schools over Remnant, there were only four major combat academies. Each one was in their respected kingdoms: Beacon in Vale, Shade in Vacuo, Haven in Mistral and Atlas. When a Hunter-in-training turned 17 during the year, they could participate in an entrance exam to be accepted as students for four years. Once they graduate, they become full-fledged Hunters and Huntresses.

Yang graduated from Signal Academy just three days ago, and will attend Beacon's entrance exam in two months. Ruby, only just turning 15 last month, would have to wait two more years.

Harry noticed how Ruby frowned when Yang mentioned she was attending another school.

"Something on your mind?" asked Ruby.

Harry's train of thought was broken. He shook his head, clearing his mind. "Just still absorbing everything."

"I can't imagine what it would be like to wake up in another world. It must be so intense for you."

"I'm doing better. I'm very grateful that I was saved and sheltered by some very special people."

Ruby smiled, a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm happy to help. I know dad and Yang feel the same."

"I have to ask you something, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"What's combat school like?"

"Oh, it's the best! We get to attend with all the other teens on the island and even a few from Vale. Every day we learn about fighting techniques, Grimm, Dust and even weapons. Everyone gets to make their very own personal weapon."

"Wait," said Harry, glancing at the folded scythe next to the front door. "You made that?"

"Of course. Everyone at Signal forges their own weapons. My uncle Qrow told me a Hunter is only as good as his or her weapon. But if they don't know their weapon to the very last bolt and gear, they're good as dead."

"Building your own weapons? That's wicked," Harry grinned.

"'Wicked'? I like that," Ruby said. "Interesting word."

"But I must know, what made you want to be a Huntress in the first place?"

Ruby's grin faded somewhat as she pulled her knees up and hugged them. "One of the few memories I have of my mother was her reading stories to me and Yang about the heroic deeds of Hunters and Huntresses. They slain monsters and saved lives, just like my mom and dad did. My feelings didn't change even when my mom died. Since then, I've always wanted to protect people who couldn't protect themselves. To fight for what was right."

Harry's eyes drifted to his feet. "I'm sorry."

Ruby turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay. It happened a long time ago. I still have Yang, Dad, and Uncle Qrow. And I know I've made my mom proud." She fingered the red cloak still wrapped around her shoulders. "She made this for me. About a year after I was born."

Harry stared sadly at the small girl. She too had a hard life. And she wanted to fight monsters for a living.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of Yang and Taiyang preparing dinner, when Ruby asked Harry a question.

"Harry, what's it like having magic?"

A bright smile lit up Harry's face. "It's like seeing the world for the first time after living in the darkness all your life. When Hagrid first told me I was a wizard, it was hard to believe. But when he asked me if I ever did anything that seemed impossible, I realized the truth." Harry then chuckled. "One time, when my aunt gave me a particularly dreadful haircut, I was actually able to grow back my hair overnight."

Ruby gasped. "Really?"

"Yes. I once shrunk an ugly sweater I refused to wear, turned a teacher's wig blue, and even once teleported on top of my school's roof."

"You what?"

"We call it apparition, which teleporting from one place to another. I was being chased by my cousin and his friends. They cornered me into an alley. I tried jumping on top on a trash can when I suddenly ended up on the roof. I was extremely lucky."

"Why?"

"Because of splinching. I've never seen it happen, but it's dangerous. It's when pieces of your body refuse to go with you when you apparate and remain behind. You actually need a license to apparate."

Ruby winced when she heard about splinching. It sounded horrible.

"My eyes were really opened up when we went to Diagon Alley. It was a wizarding district hidden from the rest of the world. It was the place to get my school supplies. Robes, spellbooks, wands, potion ingredients, cauldrons."

Ruby stifled a laugh. "Cauldrons?"

Harry chuckled. "I know. As a matter of fact, a lot of stereotypes are probably true about wizards and witches."

"Could you brew a love potion?" Ruby smirked.

"Actually," Harry grinned, "love potions are illegal."

"Of course."

"Even though my parents had passed, I learned that they left me small fortune to help support me. Hagrid took me to the wizarding bank Gringotts. It was a bank owned by goblins."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "Goblins? Ugly, pointed noses, about four feet tall?"

Harry shrugged. "Actually, they're about three feet tall. They're vicious, too. Wizards and goblins were at war for years in the old times. Even now, at peace, there is still tension."

Ruby nodded, following along. "You said wizards have banks?"

Harry pulled out his wallet and opened it. Inside was a small, extendable charm, not much bigger than his original money bag. It held a handful of wizarding coins that Harry still had. He pulled out three coins and showed them to Ruby.

"These are the coins we use in the wizarding world: Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts."

Ruby gasped. "Harry, are these real?"

"Yes, they are. Why?"

"Because gold and silver are very valuable in Remnant." She reached out and touched the Galleon. "You could get a lot of Lien for this at pawn shop or bank."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Lien?"

Ruby reached behind her back and pulled out a small, leather wallet with several, colorful cards. She pulled one out and showed him both sides. One side was bright red with an 'L' symbol on all four corners. The symbol also had two lines across the 'L'. The other side was white with a thin, black stripe.

"It looks like a credit card," said Harry, remembering his uncle using one several times. He took it from Ruby's hands.

"It does, but it's not," Ruby explained. "All of our money is digital, not paper or coins. That way, there is less chance of counterfeiting."

"Huh," Harry commented as he flipped the card in his hand.

"Dinner's ready!" Taiyang called from the kitchen.

Harry returned the card and both teens pocketed their money.

"Come on," Harry said as he offered a hand to Ruby. "I'll tell you more about magic over dinner."

* * *

Dinner, a nice spaghetti and meatballs with fresh bread, lasted longer than normal as Harry explained the early lessons he had in magic. From the early matchsticks into needles to the feather levitations in charms. And even more lessons in wizarding plants, astronomy, and his least favorite lesson, potions.

His smile grew even bigger when he began to talk about Quidditch and flying.

Everyone almost spat out their food laughing when they found out wizards and witches still rode on broomsticks. Harry had to laugh with them, realizing it was a bit funny.

But when Harry began explaining how flying was one of the most natural things in the world for him, the three hung on to his every word. Harry explained the rules, players and balls for Quidditch. He went into more detail on flying than any other subject in his magical world. From his harshest matches to the Quidditch Cup.

It wasn't until around 9:30 that Taiyang called it quits on Harry's storytelling, much to the protest of Yang and Ruby.

"We're going to Vale tomorrow, bright and early. You kids need your rest if we want to catch the first airship out of Patch."

"Airship?" asked Harry.

Yang grinned. "We can fly here in this world, too. It's not as fun as a broomstick, but it gets us places."

"I can't wait," admitted Harry. "But why are we going to Vale?"

"We need to fill out Yang's registration for Beacon's initiation," explained Taiyang. Only Harry noticed how Ruby's expression became downcast. "Meanwhile, Ruby can show you around Vale."

"I would like that," said Harry, shooting Ruby a smile. She smiled back.

"Are you two going to need any money? Harry, I know you could use some new clothes. You can't keep wearing my clothes or Qrow's."

"I got it covered, Dad," Ruby said.

"You do?" Taiyang asked. Ruby nodded. "Okay then. If you two need any help, just ask."

The girl then went their way up the stairs and to their room. Taiyang yawned and stretched, heading to the living room. Harry followed.

"If you want to watch the news, go ahead," Taiyang said. "It might help with your adjustment in our world."

"Umm….okay," Harry stammered as he looked around the living room for any sort of television. "How?"

"Oh, right." Taiyang picked up remote on the coffee table and pointed it at the empty television stand on the far side of the living room. On the stand was what looked like a fancy stereo system. But Harry's jaw dropped when it projected a large hologram of a lavender haired woman speaking to the camera.

"Good evening. I'm Lisa Lavender and this is the evening news. Our top story tonight…"

Taiyang placed the remote back on the table and made his way upstairs.

"Don't' stay up too late," said Taiyang as he dimmed the lights from upstairs. The living room darkened until the only light came from the hologram.

"Okay," Harry mumbled. He was still a little surprised.

"…In other news, a village outside of Vale was saved from a Grimm invasion, thanks to the Hunters and Huntresses that happened to be returning from an earlier mission. There were a few injuries reported, but no deaths. This is the third village attacked in the last month."

The camera cut from Lavender to footage of Hunters fighting Grimm. Several warriors in armor were fighting the monsters with several unusual weapons. They used swords, axes, lances, and knives they seemed to quickly transform into rifles, shotguns and pistols. Harry was mesmerized by the skill and power the Hunters were using to fight Grimm. He even saw one Hunter use what looked like ice to fight. Their techniques were like the ones Yang and Ruby used against the Beowolves.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Another shipment of dust was stolen from a train coming from Vacuo. At least ten containers were confirmed stolen while several others were destroyed. While there are no current suspects, several comments have been made that this was the work of the White Fang. Several members of the organization were seen in the area just before the robbery. However, no evidence has been found."

Faunus. Taiyang had explained what a faunus was earlier. Harry was surprised to learn that there was what many considered to be another race of humans on Remnant. Faunus were individuals who possessed physical animal traits. Some had ears while others had tails. There had even been a few who had antlers or claws. Yang had shown him a picture of one of her friends who had mouse ears.

Harry had to grit his teeth when he heard how people treated faunus. Personally, he saw nothing with faunus. Alastor Moody was a man who was missing several body parts and Harry still respected him. Why should having extra ears or a tail be any different? Harry was one in believing an individual shouldn't be judged by appearances.

He got some warm smiles from the others when he said that.

"There was a major scandal today involving movie star Spruce Willis-"

Harry clicked off the TV and stood, stretching his arms over his head. It had been a long and interesting day. His first full day in a new world and so much had happened. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe such a world could exist.

He smiled. Then again, he thought the same thing about the magical world.

"Rwarf."

Harry looked to the door to see Zwei looking at him. The corgi scratched on the door once, then turned in a circle.

"Okay, Zwei. Last time, okay?" Zwei barked his answer.

In the brisk evening air, Harry let the dog do his business while he stared at the moon. The full, but shattered moon hung in the sky. Harry asked what happened. Apparently, nobody knows what happened to the moon. It's been like that for as long as mankind as existed.

Harry took a deep breath and looked at his hand. Mere hours ago, his hand was blazed with the red-gold fires he knew all too well. He saw that fire the first time he met Fawkes. The phoenix was on his Burning Day, the day his old body erupted in fire and was reborn from the ashes.

He closed his hand then rubbed his eyes, still marveling at the fact he didn't need glasses anymore. The same eyes, which hours earlier, had shed the same tears Fawkes did when Harry was injured by Salazar Slytherin's basilisk.

' _Their tears have healing powers.'_

When Zwei was finished, they both went back inside the house. Harry locked the door while Zwei watched him. Harry walked over the couch. Then, he bent forward and grabbed the bottom of the couch. Taking a deep breath, he tensed his muscles and lifted the couch. The furniture easily rose off the ground. Harry didn't feel any exertion on his body at all. He even tried holding it up with one hand.

' _They can carry immensely heavy loads.'_

Harry eased the couch back down. He heard a confused whine come from Zwei.

"Zwei, I don't know how, but I've seem to gain some familiar abilities," he told the dog.

"Rwarf."

He pulled his wand from his back pocket. "Maybe I haven't lost my magic at all. Maybe my magic just….changed."

"Rwarf."

Harry put his wand on the coffee table, then laid down on the couch. He pulled the afghan off the top of the couch and pulled it over himself. Yawning, he settled himself comfortably on the soft leather. It was a few seconds later when he felt small weight jump on his legs and walk onto his stomach. Harry opened his eyes and saw Zwei staring at him.

"Oh, all right. Just for tonight."

Zwei licked him on the chin, then settled himself on Harry's stomach. Harry scratched the corgi behind the ears for a few moments. Then drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter.


	4. The Trip

_Sorry about the long wait. I still haven't bought myself a new laptop, so I'm still stuck using my library's computer. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. But I have to admit. I don't think it's my best. There were so many directions I could have gone with this story and my damn pride wouldn't let me make any major changes._

 _I hope everyone enjoys._

* * *

Harry's smile threatened to split his face as he pressed his hands to the large, glass window of the airship. His breath slightly fogged the window when he breathed. Taiyang and Ruby tried not to laugh at the boy's enthusiasm.

"Harry, if you don't calm down, we're going to strap you down to the seat," Taiyang chuckled. Ruby giggled as well.

Harry didn't mind. It had been months since he had been flying. With his broom confiscated by Umbridge, he didn't have any urge to fly anymore. And when he went to go rescue Sirius at the Ministry, he couldn't enjoy the ride given to him by the thestrals. But now, it seemed as though he was remembering why he enjoyed flying. Granted, the airship wasn't flying as fast as his Firebolt, but it was enough.

It was a few minutes more before he had his fill of air before he rejoined Ruby and Taiyang in the center of the ship. Harry was amazed at the stability of the ship. Even when the ship rose into the air at Signal Harbor, he didn't feel the ship shudder at all.

"This is fantastic," Harry said.

Ruby smiled at him. "Just like a broom ride?"

"Not quite," Harry chuckled. "But it's close enough."

"Close enough?"

"There is no wind in my face or feeling of weightlessness that a broom can give you. Although, this is just fine."

"You should ask Yang to give you a ride on her motorcycle," suggested Ruby. "She likes to ride fast and you'll definitely feel the wind in your face."

"But you'll also feel everything you ate beforehand make a second appearance," said Taiyang. He looked a little green at the comment. So did Ruby.

"She likes to ride fast?" asked Harry.

"Fast is an understatement. More like she tries to break the sound barrier every time she rides that damn thing."

Yang was in the cargo bay, giving her motorcycle a quick tune-up before they landed at Vale. The machine, which had affectionately named Bumblebee, had to remain there with the few other vehicles Patch residents had brought with them.

Taiyang had woken everyone up at dawn. Harry once again helped with breakfast while the girls got cleaned up. While the girls ate, Taiyang gave Harry some more of their hand-me-downs. This time, it was Qrow's old outfit. It similar to the one Qrow was wearing the other day, just smaller. Black pants and a gray buttoned shirt.

When Yang had the chance, she took off on her motorcycle. Harry, Ruby and Taiyang caught a dust-powered bus that regularly circled the island for its' residents. The short trip brought them to the small town of Signal. It was about the size of Hogsmead. The town had the usual supermarket, bars, motels, and harbor that a normal seaside town had. But the largest building in the town looked like a large cathedral when it was actually Signal Academy. Ruby happily pointed out each room from the bus, showing him her dad and uncle's classrooms.

They waited a half an hour for their ferry leave. The trio, soon joined by Yang, got some coffee and hot chocolate and found a bench to watch the boats the slowly sail across the water. When their time came, Harry's jaw dropped when a large, airship landed slowly on a heavily enforced pier. It was a long shape, with four wings that slowly flapped up and down. It was sleek with several large windows surrounding its bulk.

Ruby grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him to the pier. Taiyang trailed behind while Yang walked her bike to the ship.

Harry shook his head out of his thoughts. It was still hard to imagine the world he lived in. When he woke up this morning, just like the day before, he thought he would wake back up in his four-poster bed at Hogwarts, still studying for his O.W.L.'s. Ron would wake him up just in time for breakfast while Hermione would be waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase, a bag over her shoulder filled with books.

But now, with Zwei still sleeping on his chest and Taiying gently shaking him awake, Harry had begun to accept this was his reality now. He still missed his friends. But there were worse places he could have ended up.

Yang soon appeared from a staircase and sat down beside Ruby.

"Are you excited about applying at Beacon?" asked Ruby.

Yang grinned. "You bet. Beacon better prepare for me because I'm going to shake things up."

Taiyang placed a hand over his face. "Yang, don't. It's bad enough Qrow told you all the stuff me and him did at our time at Beacon. Don't try to upstage us."

The smirk Yang gave her dad even made Harry's neck tingle with danger. "Sure thing, pop."

Taiyang sighed and turned to Ruby and Harry. "So what are you two going while we're at Beacon."

"I'm going to show Harry around town," Ruby told him. "Show him the sights and help him get some clothes."

Yang's smirk grew even bigger. "Well, cozying up to the new guy, aren't you little sis?"

Ruby blushed and glowered at her sister. While the two sisters stared at each other, Harry felt his danger senses tingle and saw at the corner of his eyes to see Taiyang suddenly glare at Harry. The fear he felt at a father looking after his daughter made anything Voldemort done in the past seem like nothing but child's play now.

Then the glare was gone and Taiyang smiled at Ruby. "I'm happy you want to help Harry, Ruby. But maybe there are some things Harry would rather do on his own."

"Happy to help, dad," answered Ruby. Taiyang smiled at his daughter. Then threw another quick glare at Harry.

 _Bugger, what did I do now_ , Harry thought.

"There's Vale," Ruby suddenly shouted and jumped up. She dragged Harry up and to the window. "Come see."

Harry silently gasped as Vale came into view. He had never seen London in its entirety; he felt the Vale must be the same size. In fact, Vale reminded him a lot of London. The streets were small, just large enough for two lanes of traffic. The buildings were around three stories tall, with several large windows on each side. In the distance, Harry could see what looked like a commercial district that had several smoke stakes. There was a large ocean port on the north side of the city with three, large container ships docked. Finally, there were two rivers at the cliffs that merged into one and flowed into the sea.

"There's Beacon," Ruby whispered. "See it?"

Harry nodded. On top of the cliffs was large tower. It seemed to have emerald glow at the top of its spire. The tower was surrounded by several large buildings and smaller towers of gothic design. It actually reminded him a little of Hogwarts. But it was too far away for any more details.

"Just two more years," Ruby muttered.

"You really want to go, don't you?" asked Harry.

Ruby smiled. "More than anything."

There was a loud 'ding' and a female voice echoed over the PA system. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are preparing to land on Vale. Please prepare for our descent and docking."

Ruby and Harry joined Taiyang and Yang as Harry begun to feel the slight descent of gravity. Just like riding an elevator.

* * *

"You two be careful," Taiyang called out as Ruby and Harry. He and Yang were going to wait for a smaller transport to take them over the cliffs of Beacon within the next few minutes. Yang's motorcycle was waiting in the parking lot when she was finished.

"We will," Ruby called over her shoulder. She grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him towards the business district of the city. Harry could see several shops and cafés lining the streets to welcome Vale's guests.

Harry marveled at the city. It was just so clean. In London, there was always seemed to be some trash littering the streets or smog hanging over certain sections of the city. But in Vale, all the buildings and streets look like they have been scrubbed with a giant brush. There wasn't even any smell of car exhaust from any vehicles.

But then, Vale's vehicles don't exactly run on gas.

The people were just as interesting. He thought the odd clothes was just a family thing, but there were several people who dressed the same was as Taiyang, Ruby, Yang and Qrow. Even more unusual was that several people had different shades of hair. Harry saw one woman with pink hair, a man with green, and another woman with purple highlights.

"Where are we going?" asked Harry.

"To my uncle Qrow's bank. I know they offer deals with people exchanging gold and silver. He's done it a couple of times when he's found nuggets around Remnant."

Ruby lead him a few blocks down the street until they came to a large, two-story building. It was bricked with sandstone with large, dark windows. 'Bank of Vale' was written with gold lettering against a green backdrop. Two guards were posted outside the bank. They nodded as the two teens approach. Inside, customers were in several lines awaiting a teller to be open. It was just as fancy inside as out.

Harry and Ruby waited their turn until the found a teller open.

"How can I help you today," the man asked politely.

Ruby pushed Harry forward. "My friend has some gold and silver he would like to exchange for Lien."

"Of course. How much are you exchanging today?"

Harry pulled out his wallet. Carefully hiding its contents, he pulled out a few galleons and sickles and placed them on the counter. The man lifted an eyebrow at the coins and grabbed one.

"Where did these come from?" he asked.

Harry already had a story worked out. "Failed attempt at currency in my village. It's something that was tried during my great grandfather's time. Before Lien."

"I've never seen a design like this before," the teller said. "But gold is gold. I know for a fact it's real, but we still have to make sure."

Harry nodded as the man began to work. He first banged each coin on the counter, listening for the rings. Then pulled out a magnet stick, scales, and small measuring tool. He smiled when the magnet didn't stick to the metal and begun to weigh and measure each coin. After a few anxious minutes, the teller entered his calculations into a calculator, then typed into his computer.

"And how do you want your Lien today?" he asked.

Harry didn't know how to answer, but Ruby did. "Standard hundreds and tens, please."

The teller nodded and begun to pull some Lien cards from his drawer in front of him. Ruby's eyes bugged out when the teller begun to place several cards in front of Harry. They ranged from red and yellow, but most of them were light blue color.

"There you go, sir," the teller said as he handed Harry a thick stack of Lien cards. "Would you be interested in opening an account with us to hold your currency?"

"Not today, I'm afraid," Harry said as he pocket the Lien into his wallet. When he folded it up, the expansion charm helped adjust it to normal size.

"Well then, have a nice day. Please be sure to come back."

"I will," Harry smiled. He then walked out of the bank with Ruby.

It wasn't until they got about a block away from the bank until Ruby said something.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to keep all that money in your wallet?"

Harry smiled. "You didn't forget about my security system?"

"No, but it has to be uncomfortable carrying all those cards in your pocket."

Harry looked around carefully, then showed Ruby the magical extension charm inside his wallet. Ruby gasped when she saw all the cards emerge when Harry opened the inside. He then folded it back. The wallet swallowed the cards and Harry put it back in his pocket.

"That is so cool," Ruby whispered. The two resumed their walk. "So what are you going to do now that you're rich?" she asked.

"It's not that much, is it?" asked Harry.

Ruby giggled. "You just got what my dad and uncle Qrow make in about six months working at Signal. Trust me, you're good for a while."

Harry scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I guess the first thing I need to do is get some new clothes. I can't be wearing you dad and uncle's things all the time."

"Oh! I just know just the place. Let's go!" Ruby grabbed his arm and raced down the street. Harry could have sworn his feet left the ground for several seconds as she pulled him to the destination in mind.

* * *

Harry almost staggered out of the door of clothing store Ruby selected. It dealt with the newest designs from all corners of Remnant. Harry's arms were filled with bags of shirts, pants, socks, and underwear. He could still feel the embarrassment of Ruby walking up to him holding men's underwear in her hands, asking him if he was a boxer or briefs guy. That was a little too much.

"That was fun," Ruby smiled.

"Sure," Harry smiled back. It was bit like shopping for the first time when he was in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. "What do you want to do now?"

"It's about time for lunch," she explained. "It was Yang's turn to pick where we are going to eat. We were going to meet with her and dad at her choice. "She pulled out her scroll and frowned. "She should have called us by now though."

"Maybe we could meet them there. Do you know where she was going to pick?" asked Harry.

"Nope. But let's find out." She pressed a button on her screen and waited a moment. Harry hear the familiar sound a phone ringing twice before Taiyang's voice picked up over the speakers.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dad. Are you and Yang done yet?"

"Uuhhmmm…..no. Apparently every student wanted to pick today to enroll into Beacon. So me and Yang are stuck in a giant line, waiting our turn."

"We should have brought snacks," Yang's voice said through the speakers.

"So you're not joining us for lunch?" asked Harry.

"No. You two are going to have to have lunch on your own. We're going to be here at least another three hours."  
Harry winced. It sounded like waiting in detention with Snape. He wouldn't wish that on anybody.

"Okay then. Talk to you later," Ruby said and then hung up. "Well, looks like we're on our own. Do you have any preferences for lunch?"

Harry stalled. He never was given a choice of what he wanted for lunch, so what did he want? It was doubtful there was anything he would find in London or Hogsmeade here.

"You pick," Harry finally said.

Ruby smiled and grabbed his hand. "I know just the perfect place."

The perfect place ended up being a small noodle shop outdoors on the side of the street: 'A Simple Wok'. Harry had never tried noodles before, so he approached it with an open mind. But when a giant bowl was placed in front of him, Harry shyly confessed he didn't know how to use chopsticks. Ruby just grinned and showed him the proper way to use them. It took a few tries, but Harry eventually learned.

"What do you think?" asked Ruby.

Harry nodded. "Not bad. Never had noodles before."

"Is the food here any different in your world?"

"Actually, it's pretty much the same," Harry answered. "You have the same types of restaurants I've seen in my world. Pizza places, burger joints, seafood. I can even saw a few specialty places that would cost a lot of money to enjoy, just like on Earth. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more tea shops though."

"You're a big tea drinker like my dad, then," Ruby asked pointing a chopstick at him.

Harry gave her a sheepish smile. "Tea is kind of a big thing where I'm from. Kind of….religious, you might say."

"Well, I know a place we could stop by. You might find something from your world there."

"Thank you, Ruby."

The two continued finishing their large bowls. Harry regaled her with his first night at Hogwarts and how they were chosen for the four houses at Hogwarts. Ruby looked at him skeptically when he told her a magical hat would read their minds and emotions to determine which house they would do well in. He also told how at the Welcoming Feast, the food would magically appear on the table amongst the gold plates and goblets. Everything from roast beef to fried chicken.

Later, they showed up at a bakery/tea shop. Apparently Ruby was a regular customer because the bakers greeted her when she walked in. The smell of baked bread, sugar and, Harry couldn't believe it, Earl Gray, wafted through the building. Harry actually felt like he was back in England.

The shop was almost empty. Only a few older gentlemen were sitting at a table in the corner, with a Chinese checkerboard on the table. On one side of the wall was the tea selections. Harry made his way over there, selecting the tea of his choice and bringing it to the counter.

Harry nearly dropped the tea and his purchases when he saw Ruby nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie the size of a large dinner plate.

She caught him staring. "Wharrf?" she asked with a mouthful.

* * *

The afternoon was spent with Harry getting a tour around Vale. Ruby showed him where more of her favorite eating places were, where the library, post office, hospital, and police station was, and topped it off by spending a couple of hours at a very large arcade. Harry never played much video games, only watching Dudley play on his computer or Playstation. But he followed Ruby in and had a blast playing shooting games like Dawn of the Grimm and fighting games like Wars of the Ninja Clans. He even was brave enough to try a dancing game with Ruby. He had fun, despite tripping over his feet several times.

But when Harry decided to give 'Wack a Grimm' a try to win tickets for prizes, they had to leave pretty quickly when Harry's strength broke the machine after only one hit.

It was then, with the sun beginning to descend, that Ruby took Harry to her favorite place in Vale: From Dust till Dawn.

It was a Dust shop. Along the walls were giant tubes of Dust powder for easy access into containers or cartridges. In the center was the purchase counter was an old man waved in welcome. His counter was a glass display that had a selection of large Dust crystals. There were also several wooden shelves that were full of glass containers, pre-packaged dust, tools, and a selection of Dust round Cartridges and bullets for self-loading. Ruby immediately walked to the counter, where an old man with bushy white eyebrows and an extreme receding hairline was waiting. He wore gray clothes and a maroon apron.

"Hey, mister. Did my order come in?" she asked.

The shopkeeper nodded and bent below the counter to pull out a medium-sized cardboard box. On the packaging address was an emblem of a rose, one Harry saw on Ruby's belt and weapon. Harry guessed that a personal emblem because he didn't see that image anywhere else. He then remembered Yang had one as well on her shirt.

"Two hundred rounds of sniper ammunition," The man explained in a soft voice. "One hundred and fifty are the standard dust rounds with Atleasian jackets. The others are a mix of fire, ice, and lightning rounds."

"Thank you!" Ruby sang and handed the man a few cards of lien. He rang up her purchase and Ruby carried the box towards the magazine shelf. Harry watched her go, wondering if he should follow.

"Don't worry, she wants to check out what's new in the 'weapons' section," explained the shopkeeper. "She does that after she picks up an order. And she could be there for a while."  
"Does she come here often?" asked Harry.

The man chuckled. "At least once a week."

Harry chuckled as well. Then he bent down to examine the crystals on display. They were sorted by color, shape and ranged in size. Some were about the size of his finger while others were smaller or bigger.

"Is there a difference between crystals and powder?" Harry asked.

"Not really," the shopkeeper answered. "They are both explosive in either state. It's just Dust is more manageable when it's in powder form. It can be measured into ammunition or for aura use."

Harry straightened up. "You mean when you combine it with your aura."

The man nodded. "Exactly. But there are only a few who can control it." He picked up a green crystal from the cushion. "This is a wind Dust crystal. If I or that girl was to use our aura on this crystal, the result would be an explosion of wind we couldn't control. However, there are some Huntmans and Huntresses who can actually control the dust on some degree."

"May I?" asked Harry, holding out his hand.

The cashier nodded placed it in Harry's hands. "Be careful."

The second the crystal touched Harry's hand, the boy felt a familiar felling rushed through his fingers and hands. Harry gave a silent gasp. The same warmth he felt when he first touched his wand at Ollivander's was once again flowing through his body. But there was something else too. There was also a smell of the open air when he was on a broomstick. It reminded him when he was flying through the air during a game. The smell the Forbidden Forrest, the Black Lake, and the excitement of a Quidditch match.

It was the smell of wind. His version of wind.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" the shopkeeper asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'm fine," said Harry as he quickly placed the crystal back onto the counter. He tried to calm down, but his heart was hammering in his chest. What exactly was in that crystal that could feel so similar to a wand's core? The cores used in his world were provided by magical creatures. So what exactly provided power for Dust?

Lost in his thoughts, he found himself walking towards Ruby, whose nose was still buried in a magazine. She looked up a few seconds later when she realized Harry was there.

"Check this out, Harry." She pushed the magazine to his eye level. "A Thompson machine gun that can spit over one hundred dust rounds. It can also change into a two-handed circular saw designed to slice Grimm into pieces."

Harry saw the deadly weapon and raised an eyebrow. The gun was displayed on one page with captions around it describing each section in brief but accurate details. On the other side was what looked like a heavy duty power saw he seen construction workers cut steel with. In a series of pictures at the bottom of both pages was how each part moved to form each mode.

"Wow. That's…..awesome?" Harry questioned. He really didn't know what he should say.

"It's so cool!" Ruby squealed. "Not as cool as Crescent Rose, but awesome still."

"You really are into weapons, aren't you?"

Ruby's cheeks tinted red as she grinned. "Yeah. Each weapon a Huntsman and Huntress use is an extension of themselves. You can tell a lot about a person by the weapons they use. It's like meeting new people. Only….better."

"Why not just walk up to them and try to get to know each person instead of looking at weapons?" Harry asked.

Ruby's face fell and Harry realized this may be a sore subject for her.

"While I do have friends at Signal, I just don't have that many. Dad says I'm just really shy at meeting new people. I can be kind of…awkward. It doesn't help that you're related to the teachers who control your grades."

Harry frowned. "I don't think you're awkward at all. I think you're really brilliant."  
Ruby's head snapped up with a hopeful expression. "Really?"

"Really," Harry nodded. "You gave me a tour of Patch, you're giving me a tour of Vale. It was you who told me the most about Remnant. You've explained things to me I couldn't understand about Dust, Hunters, and weapons. You and your sister protected me when I was attacked by Beowolves. And the most important thing of all, you believed me when I told you about arriving here from another world. That means more to me than anything. And why I consider you a great friend."

Ruby smiled and hugged him. Harry returned the hug, feeling truly safe in the few days since he arrived here in Remnant. He meant every word. A lot worse could have happened when he landed in Remnant. He was quietly thanking anyone who was listening that he was found by a family that cared.

A ringing noise interrupted their moment and Ruby reluctantly pulled away to grab her scroll. Harry caught the text 'Dad' before Ruby answered.

"Hello?" she said.

"We're finally done," Taiyang's voice said with relief. "Yang and I are on our way to the docks. We'll meet you and Harry there?"

"We're not going to stay for dinner?" asked Ruby.

"No. Yang said she's had enough paperwork and just wants to go home. I agree. We'll order a pizza and pick it up in Patch."

"Okay, see you there." Ruby folded her scroll and picked up her dust rounds. "Like pizza?"

"Sure," Harry smiled.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to touch the western horizon as the transport landed on the docks of Signal. While Ruby and Harry went over their purchases, Taiyang and Yang spent the entire trip complaining about the crowds at Beacon and how much paperwork they had to fill out.

"I mean, why would they need to know my hobbies and interests! That was bullcrap!" Yang was yelling at anyone who would listen.

Taiyang was also asking how Ruby and Harry's day was. He actually asked Harry the most questions, asking what interested him about Vale or how the city compared to London. Harry happily answered his questions, comparing Vale and London. Actually, he noted there were more similarities between the two cities than differences.

When they landed, they waited outside the pizza shop. They still had a few minutes to wait before their orders were complete. However, Yang wasn't haven't any of that. She wheeled her motorcycle in front of the shop, a grumpy expression on her face.

"I have had enough waiting today. I'm going home. Now."

"Don't blame you, kid," sighed Taiyang. "Be sure to feed Zwei when you get home."  
"Sure," Yang said as she put her helmet and glasses on.

"This is your chance," Ruby suddenly spoke to Harry. Yang froze before she could start the engine.

"For what?" asked Harry and Yang at the same time.

"Me and Dad told Harry earlier he should try a ride on Bumblebee. Harry said riding the airship wasn't like riding a broomstick without the wind in his face."

"Ohhh,"Yang drawled out, a maniacal grin growing on her face. She reached behind her into the storage compartment and pulled out another helmet. "Does Harry have the have guts to ride on Bumblebee? If he does, they'll be in his throat when we're done."

Harry matched her grin and grabbed the helmet. "You're on."

"Now kids," Taiyang tried to reason. But Harry had already hopped onto the small, extra seat behind Yang, fitting the helmet on his head.

"I'll bring your clothes home," Ruby offered. She then grinned. "If you're still alive to wear them."

"Oh, I will be," said Harry. "Trust me."

"We'll see!" Yang said as she started the engine. The moment it roared to life, Yang spun the wheels in a half-circle and shot off. Harry had only a split second to wrap his arms around Yang's waist as the front of the motorcycle popped a wheelie. They rode on one wheel for almost a city block before the front wheel finally touched the ground.

Yang expertly weaved between the few cars that were traveling on the street and headed to the forests outside of town. Soon the pavement of the streets became the dirt path back home. Harry laughed as the wind blew into his eyes, once again feeling the rush at traveling at insane speeds. It wasn't a broomstick, but damn if it didn't come close.

"Fast enough?!" Yang yelled over her shoulder. She could barely be heard over the roar the engine and wind.

"Not even close!" Harry yelled back.

Yang laughed. "Well, let's fix that!" She shifted gears and accelerated. Harry was sure he would have flown off if he didn't have his arms around Yang.

The speed of the motorcycle seemed to give Harry tunnel vision. The roar of the engine rose the peak of its RPM's while the light from the sunset broke through the trees. The light painted the forest in a hypnotic vision, making Harry feel like he was actually flying. The smell of freedom, the forest and the faint scent of Yang's shampoo as her hair brushed Harry's cheek was an exhilaration that made Harry's heart race.

Suddenly, Yang gave a sharp turn, snapping Harry out of his dreams. He realized the Yang made the turn down the driveway towards home. A screech of metal and the rough sound of dirt brought their sudden ride to a halt as Yang pulled up to the house. The engine idled for a few seconds before Yang shut off the engine.

She pulled off her helmet, shook her mane of hair, then stepped off the motorcycle. She grinned towards Harry.

"How was that? Fast enough for ya?" she laughed.

Harry smiled and hopped off the motorcycle. He walked in a circle and stretched. "That was good."

Yang's eyebrow rose. "'Good'?" Most people would be throwing up their guts after a ride like that."

"Don't get me wrong Yang. It was a rush," Harry reassured. His legs were vibrating horribly. He could barely stand up. "But when you've flown through the air on a broomstick at 150 mph, everything under that seems to be…slow."

Yang's jaw dropped in surprise. But then she grinned. "Now that, sounds like a rush."

Harry chuckled and handed her back the spare helmet. "I hope you're not offended."

"Not at all," Yang grinned. She then closed in on Harry and poked him on the chest. "Hopefully, I can get you back on Bumblebee and go fast enough to make you scream 'stop'."

Harry blushed furiously at her innuendo. Yang chuckled, winked, and sashayed to the front door.

His face on fire, Harry couldn't help but grin. "Women."

* * *

The night was filled with laughter, pizza, soda, and video games. Using the skills he learned from Ruby earlier in the arcade, Harry was a formidable opponent. He won several games against Ruby, Yang and Taiyang, who loved video games as much as his daughters. There was even several tag team matches with Harry and Ruby wiping to the floor with Yang and Tiayang. They had to stop when Yang's eyes started to glow crimson with frustration.

"Alright, everyone. That's enough for tonight," Taiyang announced as she shut off the TV.

"Oh, come on. One more match," Yang complained.

"No. You three need to get some sleep."

"But its summer vacation," Ruby tried to reason. "We can sleep when school starts."

"Not tonight. I've got a teacher's meeting at Signal tomorrow. It's the last one before everyone leaves the island for business trips or missions."

"So what does that have to do with us?" asked Yang.

"While I'm in the meeting, I want you and Ruby to get some practice in at the training grounds. Just because it's your vacation doesn't mean you can slack off your skills. And Harry, you can visit the library if don't' want to watch them. Now, off the bed."

The two girls groaned but agreed. Harry followed the girls into the kitchen where the put there dishes in the sink and soda cans into the trash. While the sisters went upstairs to their room, Harry pulled the blanket off the couch. But before he could lie down, he felt Taiyang's hand on his shoulder.

"I think it's time we move you into guest room," he said.

"I thought that was Qrow's room."

Taiyang shook his head. "It is when he visits. But I got a message from him earlier. He's been recruited for a long-term mission. He has enough time to attend the teacher's meeting, but won't be back for a while. Possibly further than when the school year starts."  
"What kind of mission?" asked Harry.

"The top-secret kind. He won't even tell me what it is. So we can move you into his room until he gets back."

Harry nodded and grabbed all his purchases he made earlier in the day upstairs. He walked down the hallway to the room Taiyang pointed out yesterday. Harry pushed open the door and turned on the light. The room was pretty empty. It only had a small, full-size bed and beside stand with a vase of fresh sunflowers. There was a large window on the opposite side that viewed the dark forest.

Harry put his bags next to the closet, and then pulled out the simple outfit he got to sleep in: A pair of crimson gym shorts and a sleeveless, black shirt with an image of a Beowolf shredding through the fabric.

He grabbed his new toothbrush and head towards the bathroom in the hallway. He froze when he stood in the doorway and saw Yang and Ruby in the bathroom too. Yang was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, brushing her long hair. Ruby stood in front of the sink, her mouth covered with toothpaste. Both were dressed in their pajamas.

"Sorry," Harry apologized. He turned to leave. "I'll come back when you're done."

"It's okay," Yang smiled. "Come join us."

"Mrmmph," mumbled Ruby, her toothbrush still in her mouth. She patted the on the sink beside her.

Harry nodded and stood beside her. Her lathered his new toothbrush and began brushing.

"So did you have a nice time in Vale?" asked Yang. His mouth filled with paste, Harry could only nod encouragingly. "Ruby didn't bore you to death, did she?"  
Ruby spit into the sink and scowled at her sister. "Yang!"

"Hey. It's an honest question."

Harry spit. "I had fun. Ruby was a great guide and showed me the best places in Vale."

Ruby smiled, but Yang raised an eyebrow. "All of _her_ best places."

"Nevertheless, I had fun. And if we can do it again, I will." Harry grinned at Ruby and continued brushing.

"Well, just as a warning, don't try to get used to it," Yang suggested. Harry frowned at Yang and Ruby spit into the sink to glower at her sister.

"What do you mean by that?" Ruby asked .

"Oh, come on Ruby. Didn't you hear the suggestions dad's been giving Harry? 'How was Vale?' 'Is it similar to London?' 'You can visit the library while Ruby and Yang train.'" Yang asked Ruby.

"Yeah, so?" Ruby asked, confused.

Yang scoffed. "He wants Harry to move out and away from us."

Harry spit, but not in the sink. He groaned and began to wipe the mirror with a wash cloth. Ruby helped him while she continued to question her sister.

"Why, though? I thought dad liked Harry. Why would he ask him to move out?" Ruby asked. Harry wondered about that, too. Did he do something wrong?

"He does like Harry," Yang reassured Ruby. "But it's more along the lines that now he's feeling better and adjusting to Remnant, he doesn't want a teenage boy living with his two teenage daughters."

Harry blushed heavily at her answer. _Really? That's what Taiyang was worried about?_

Ruby, however, was frowning thoughtfully. "Wait. What's wrong with Harry living with us?

Yang sighed and pointed her brush at Ruby. "Remember when I was caught kissing Andrew Shale a couple of years ago during recess? Remember what dad did?"

Ruby's eyes widened and a light blush bloomed on her cheeks. "Dad's worried Harry's going to give us diseases before we graduate?!" She turned to Harry, whose jaw dropped. "Run, Harry! Dad's going to castrate you!"

"He's going to what?!" Harry yelped.

Yang blurted out laughing. Clutching her stomach, she about fell back into the tub. Each teen was sporting a red face: Yang due to laughing so hard, Harry and Ruby due to embarrassment.

"That wasn't funny," Harry said.

"I disagree," Yang giggled as she struggled to breath. "What I was trying to say is that dad is just being a paranoid father first before anything else."

"I think I've more things on my mind right now than chasing skirts," Harry grumbled. "But maybe he's right."

"Harry, no!" cried Ruby. "You said we were great friends. Why would you want to leave?"

"I don't mean moving far away," Harry reassured Ruby. "But maybe find a place for myself on Patch or in Vale. Now that I got some lein, I can rent a place of my own."

"Maybe get a job," Yang suggested.

"That's a good idea," Harry answered.

"What did you want to do before you arrived in Remnant?" asked Ruby.

"An Auror," Harry told them. When he saw their confused looks, he explained. "A Dark-Wizard hunter. It's an Auror's job to investigate incidents that involve dark magic and apprehend dark wizards or witches."

"So basically it's a magical branch of law enforcement," Yang answered for herself. "That's pretty cool."

"Like a police officer?" asked Ruby.

"Sort of," said Harry. "When I was researching options on career choices at Hogwarts, being an Auror was my first choice. My Head of House said it was one of the most difficult options there was because of the amount of training involved in becoming an Auror. I would have to have high grades in many of the classes I was taking and then take a series of tests and challenges. She said only the best try for it."

"So you would actually be like a special agent? That's even better!" Ruby gushed. "You should definitely try that here."

Harry frowned and began to rinse his toothbrush. "It was cool because I could use magic in my world. Here, I don't think I would be qualified to do anything on that caliber. Not without a wand or magic."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Usually people who become special agents have had a lifetime of training with weapons, tactics, and aura."

"Which is out of my range," Harry said solemnly.

The next few minutes were filled with silence as everyone finished up. Yang was reaching the tips of brushing her hair while Harry was rinsing with mouthwash and Ruby was washing her face. Harry's mind was buzzing with thoughts of what to do. Maybe he could join with a law enforcement in Vale. He couldn't see himself doing anything normal. Even in another world, he still had a thirst for excitement and danger.

"What about becoming a Huntsman?" Ruby suggested out of the silence. This caused everyone to freeze.

"Whar?" asked Harry, his mouth still filled with mouthwash.

"A huntsman. Like dad or Uncle Qrow."

A smile crept on Yang's face. "That's an idea."  
Harry spit into the sink and wiped his mouth. "A huntsman?"

"You could totally do it," Ruby said. "You already showed me and Yang you have no fear of Grimm. You even destroyed with only your fists. And if the stories you told us are true, you have plenty of experience dealing with bad guys and monsters."

"Ruby's right. And what's more, there isn't an age limit to sign up for basic combat schools. The only requirement for academies is that you have to be 17 years old."

"You can hire a tutor to help you," Ruby finished.

"But you said I didn't have any aura yesterday," said Harry. "I thought that was a basic requirement for becoming a Huntsman."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Harry, that test was to see if your aura had been _activiated_. We thought your strength and gold fire was a result of your aura and semblance so dad scanned you to see."

Ruby nodded. "Your aura could still be in its dormant state. It just needs to be unlocked by another aura user."

"Once it's unlocked, you can start training. You could even join Ruby at Signal."

"That would be so cool!" Ruby gasped.

Harry thought about it. He had to admit, the thought of being a monster hunter had its appeal. Just about the same as being an Auror. Seeing Ruby and Yang fight was like watching an action film. Every move they made when fighting Grimm was amazing to watch. Harry wished he could actually fight like that.

A bubble of excitement began to build within him. He could become a Huntsman. Monster hunter. Humanity protector. With his magic gone, he could start taking steps to better himself and become stronger with his own strength.

But there was a string of doubt building within him also. Could he actually focus on becoming a Huntsman so soon after arriving in the world? Even more, should he continue to keep trying to find a way to get back home? Or was he trapper here forever?

Yang could see the hesitation on Harry's face. She got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't make a decision now. Come with us to Signal and you can watch me and Ruby train. We'll find out if hunting Grimm is something you want to do."

"You'll love it," Ruby chirped.

Harry smiled at them. "I'm sure I will. Thanks."

10 minutes later, Harry was lying on his new bed and stared up at the ceiling. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts that were keeping him awake. Here he was, at a crossroads. Why shouldn't he become a Huntsman? From the news reports last night, Huntsman and Huntresses were held in high regards. They protected humanity from the creatures of Grimm as well as helped citizens any way they could. Harry could really begin to build a life here. One that was his alone.

One that would _not_ require a Boy-Who-Lived moniker.

But…what about Earth? Ron? Hermione? Hogwarts? Were his friends still alive after his mistake? Could he really live with himself if he built a new life in Remnant while his friends suffered?

Harry sighed and raised a hand to the ceiling. Concentrating on his feelings, his hand was engulfed once again in a gold-red fire. The light shimmered around the room, giving an eerie glow. Little by little, the fire was slowly working his way past his wrist and to his elbow.

Harry gripped his fist, breaking his concentration and extinguishing his flame. His fire, his Phoenix Fire, was definite Grimm killer. If there was anything that helped convince him of staying, it was his new powers. Harry could do a lot of good here in Remnant. He could help Ruby and Yang defend the kingdoms.

Sighing, Harry turned to his side and looked out the moonlit window. The shattered remains of the moon were a constant reminder he was in a different world.

A world he would now have to have call home.


	5. The Challenge

Sorry for the late update, everyone. I planned on this chapter being longer, but I need to get a chapter online for everyone to enjoy. Hope its worth the wait.

* * *

Signal academy was what Harry pictured a muggle boarding to look like. There were half a dozen buildings surrounding one large building. The large building had an original gothic cathedral design and was the battle arena for students. It was about the size of three Hogwarts' Great Halls. Taiyang explained that they would hold tournament fights among the students each semester and everyone on Patch would attend. The building could hold up to 2000 spectators.

The other buildings were a variety of classrooms, dorms, and the cafeteria. One of the two largest buildings was the training center for the students. The other was the forge for building weapons. Harry could see smoke coming from the three smokestacks on the roof.

Signal was just on the outskirts of town, on a grassy hill surrounded by trees. The fresh air filled Harry's lungs in a way Hogwarts never had. He guessed it was the smell of the ocean in the distance, blowing the salt air through the trees. A stone sidewalk linked all of the buildings together.

But the tallest building was actually an old-fashioned lighthouse situated on the cliffs near the school. Taiyang explained that it was in use before radar tracking made its way across the globe after the Great War. Signal was named after the lighthouse.

There were about a dozen different people walking towards the arena. Most of them were adults, but there were a few teenagers walking as well.

"Yang!" yelled one boy from a group of teens.

"There's my friends," Yang said as she walked towards the group. "See you later!"

"Get some practice in!" Taiyang called after her.

Yang waved her hand indicating she heard. When she joined the group, they headed towards the training arena. Harry could hear them laughing as they walked away.

"That girl will be the death of me yet," Taiyang mumbled. He then turned to Harry and Ruby. "You two want to join me in finding a teacher for Harry?"

Harry and Ruby both looked at each other. Harry remembered the conversation from this morning.

" _You want to try and be a Huntsman?" asked a confused Taiyang._

" _So can you train him, dad?" asked Ruby, her hands together in a 'please' gesture._

 _The three teens and one adult were at the breakfast table, enjoying blueberry muffins Harry made along with his newly purchased tea. Everyone had already showered and was ready to leave._

 _Harry was wearing his new clothes. A new pair of dark, gray jeans with matching high-top shoes that used locking straps instead of shoelaces. He was wearing a black, buttoned dress shirt with red stitching along the arms and back. On each wrist was a leather, woven bracelet picked out by Ruby. He felt a little odd wearing something that wasn't a hand-me down from Dudley or his Hogwarts uniform._

 _Taiyang scratched his goatee in a nervous gesture. "I don't know, kids. Ruby, you and Yang have been training with me and Qrow since you little. I don't know if that would be enough time to make up until he could go to Signal. Once you reach 17, you can't apply to combat school. Only the Huntsman academies."_

 _Harry's face fell. "Actually, I was hoping I could apply to Signal with Ruby."_

" _You could try, but even Signal would be tough to catch on experience and knowledge. Hiring a tutor would be a great start, though."_

" _So could you do it?" asked Yang._

 _Taiyang suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Actually girls, I had plans this summer."_

" _Like what?"_

" _I've finally decided to go back on missions during my summer break."_

 _Harry didn't know what that meant, but both Ruby and Yang gasped. Then Ruby started squealing._

" _That's awesome, dad!" said Ruby with a high voice._

" _It's about time!" Yang yelled as she got up and hugged her father._

 _Harry didn't know what to do, but it sounded like Taiyang wasn't going to able to teach him. However, when he caught Ruby's eye, she mouthed 'later'._

 _Yang released her father and he turned to Harry. "If you want, I could ask my fellow teachers if they're willing to tutor a student this summer. If not, well, you'll have to try and find one in Vale. I'm afraid the only thing I'll be able to do his help you with the paperwork when you want to apply at the end of summer."_

 _Harry nodded. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."_

Harry was about to answer Taiying, but Ruby intervened.

"If it's okay with you, I want to show Harry the training center. We could get a head-start on finding out what weapons would be good for him."

"And get a good start on finding out what abilities he has," finished Taiyang. "Good thinking."

"Well, she's got to use those brains eventually," said a rough voice behind them. Harry turned to see Qrow waiting by the entrance to arena. In one hand he had a couple of files while the other held his flask.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby chirped and sped towards the man, latching a death grip on the arm that held the flask.

"Hey, pipsqueak," Qrow muttered before turning to looked at Harry. "And the magician is here too. Hasn't Taiyang kicked you out yet?"

"Wizard, not magician," growled Harry.

"Whatever." Qrow took another drink from his flask. He also lifted Ruby off the ground like she weighed nothing when he did. "So what brings you to our fine establishment this morning?"

"Harry wants to be a Huntsman," answered Ruby. "Dad's going to try and find him a tutor to train him for the summer so he can attend Signal in the Fall."

The only interest Qrow showed was the slight rise in his eyebrow. "Really? You think you can suddenly train to be a Huntsman in just two months when you've been trained to pull rabbits out of top hats and brew toadstool potions in cauldrons?"

Harry scowled but didn't answer. He wasn't giving Qrow any satisfaction by saying anything else.

Ruby had no trouble though. "That was mean, Uncle Qrow! Harry actually killed one Beowolf the other day. With one punch, too!"

Qrow barked a chuckle and raised his Ruby-clamped arm for another drink. "Might as well have been level zero on the way to becoming a Huntsman."

Now Harry was beginning to lose his patience. He took a step forward, but was blocked by Taiyang's arm. Taiyang gave a slight 'no' shake and turned to Qrow.

"That's enough, Qrow. Harry's been through a lot and he can make his own decisions. If he wants to be a huntsman, that's his decision."

"Oh. Are you going to teach him?"

"No. I'm going to ask if one of our colleagues would teach him."

Qrow chuckled again. "Who? Sapphire Azura? Leon Arule? Both of them are heading for Vacuo for the summer to help with the Shade Academy this summer."

Taiyang frowned. "What about Alfred Gray?"

"His wife's sick. He's taking her to Vale's hospital and probably won't be available until next month."

Both Taiyang and Ruby had worried looks on the faces. Qrow looked indifferent. Harry was beginning to feel a familiar pit in his stomach open up when things were becoming hopeless. But then he felt a hand push against his shoulder.

"Harry, Ruby, you two head to the training center and get some practice in. And make sure Yang his practicing, too."

The teens nodded and hurried away. They were only about 50ft. away before Ruby spoke.

"Don't worry. Dad will find someone to teach you."

"Your dad looked pretty worried though," Harry reasoned. "Maybe I should try to find my own teacher."

"Wait until later to make that decision," suggested Ruby. "Give dad a chance to find you someone."

"All right," Harry nodded.

Ruby led the way towards the training center. It looked like an old building with stone bricks forming an almost perfect square with clay tiling on the roof. Ivy and moss clung to each side of the brick walls. At first glance, Harry didn't think it was any different than any other old building. But when the duo walked inside, Harry's jaw dropped at all the modern conveniences that were built inside.

Many of the walls were glass and separating several areas for different exercises and spars. The left side of the building was reserved for weight lifting, treadmills, free weights, and other muscle/stamina building machines. The right side was made up of revolving training dummies, weapons, video shooting games, and other simulations. In front of him was a large open training area nearly twice as big as the Great Hall at Hogwarts. There was a small, one-hundred yard track, a small area with trampolines, and at each in of the arena were different training environments. On side seemed to be fake buildings while the other was several trees with branches and vines.

"They're for agility training," Ruby answered when she saw Harry staring at the 'forest'. "The fake trees and buildings help us use the environment to our advantages. Watch."

She pointed to one Huntsman about Harry's age who was standing on one of the branches. The boy jumped off the branch to the next tree, then propelled himself off the trunk to another tree. He grabbed a different branch, swung once in a loop, then let go and flew through the air. The boy landed with a slight wobble on the ground.

"Wicked," Harry said, clearly impressed.

"Wait till you see the basement," Ruby said and grabbed Harry's arm to drag him towards a set of double doors next to the building's entrance. They went down a flight of stairs where Harry began to hear several loud booms echoing through the doors at the bottom. Ruby pushed them open and brought Harry into the large room the same size as the one upstairs.

The booms ended up being gunshots. Three hunters were using what were clearly their weapons gun modes on a modified gun range. One side of the building had about a dozen stalls for Huntsman to take aim down the range at paper and clay targets that were either bulls-eyes or Grimm shaped.

The other side was protected by a large, thick panel of glass. Against one side of wall had what looked like large stairs. Harry had no idea what they were.

"Interesting," Harry remarked.

Ruby pulled him to the nearest stall closest to the stairs. "Let's get you started on training."

Harry frowned. "Already?"

"Better now than later. Signal academy is one the best places to train future Huntstman and Huntresses," Ruby explained. "If dad finds you a tutor, he might use this place as a training facility or may take you somewhere else. "

Harry nodded. "And getting an idea on what I have a natural talent for will help both me and him in training."

"Exactly." Ruby pulled her weapon from her back and activated it into its rifle mode. She held it out for Harry to take. But she stopped when she saw a hesitant look in his eyes. "You're not scared, are you?"

"I don't really know," Harry answered truthfully.

"Didn't you say that there were guns in your world?" asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but in my country, you need a special license or permit to carry one. Handguns are illegal altogether."

"Well, I guess the only thing to do is start at the beginning." She placed Crescent Rose on the stalls counter and pulled Harry beside her.

"The first rule in using a gun, any gun, is to always treat as if is loaded," Ruby explained to Harry. "It's not a toy, so don't treat it like one. It's a tool. A dangerous one so never point it at anything you don't want to shoot."

Harry nodded. To be honest, he was a little intimidated at the weapon. He always heard such terrifying stories about guns and how they were used by criminals in robberies and gang warfare. And here he was about to use one.

Ruby then began to point to each part of the gun: the stock, barrel, scope, trigger guard and the trigger. She showed him the magazine she kept her dust rounds in, the showed him how to carefully load it. She loaded the magazine with basic dust rounds and pulled back the bolt handle on the side of the gun.

But before she fired, she handed Harry a pair of safety glasses and ear muffins while she put on a pair as well.

"Do you want to go first?" Ruby asked.

Harry barely heard her because of the muffins, but shook his head. "Better show me how it's done."

Ruby nodded and brought the rifle up to her shoulder to take aim at the bulls-eye target that was about 75 yards away. Only a moment passes before Ruby fired her shot. Harry jumped at the loud noise despite the protection he wore. He braced himself a little better when she fired the second shot, then a third. Finally, she placed the rifle down on the counter and pressed a button that was beside her stall.

The target rushed forward to them. Before it reached the stall, Harry saw one, slightly misshapen hole in the center of the target. It was only a moment for him to realize that it was misshapen because Ruby hit the center three times.

"That was amazing," Harry praised.

Ruby gave him a shy grin. "It's easy because I've practiced. It's a lot different when Grimm are charging you and you also have to dodge when they surround you." She pulled the target off the hook and then placed a fresh one from beneath the counter. Then sent it back to the 25 yard range. "Let's start small."

Harry nodded and very carefully picked up Crescent Rose from the counter. He held the same way Ruby did and aimed down the range. Ruby started teaching Harry how to hold the rifle, load a round into the chamber, and how to use the scope. It took a few minutes for Harry to feel comfortable to take his first shot.

He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The rifle jerked hard against his shoulder causing him to wince. Ignoring the pain, he looked down the range to see that his mark impacted on the top right corner of the target. It only reached the farthest ring away from the center.

"You need to squeeze the trigger, not pull it," explained Ruby. "Pulling the trigger can ruin the trajectory. Also, you need to firmly hold the stock against your shoulder. The recoil is enough to break your collarbone if you don't hold it firmly."

Harry nodded in understanding and loaded another round into the chamber, just like Ruby showed him. He aimed once again at the bullseye, slowly squeezing the trigger this time while also pressing the rifle harder against his shoulder. The recoil was just as hard as last time, but it didn't hurt. When he raised his eye from the scope, he saw his newest mark hit the second ring above the bullseye. A definite improvement.

"Keep going," Ruby encouraged.

So Harry fired again and again. Each of his shots were getting closer to the center. Harry quickly learned to adjust with recoil and aim his shots slightly lower than what he was actually aiming at. It was his final shot that he scored a bullseye.

"You did it!" Ruby cheered.

Harry smiled with pride. He knew Ruby would have hit the center every time from this short distance, but he couldn't help but feel a little proud. He ejected the magazine and gave Crescent Rose back to Ruby.

"Thanks for teaching me," Harry said. "Maybe with more practice, this could be my weapon of choice."

"Well, let's keep finding out," Ruby suggested as she put her weapon behind her back. Grinning at Harry's confused look, she pulled him to the other side of the room.

On the opposite side of the room was a large countertop with a conveyor belt and a large piece of glass. Ruby placed her scroll on top of the glass and it lit up with a blue tinge with several folders on display. Harry watched Ruby open a folder with a tap of her finger and swiped it several times across the glass screen. She grinned and double-tapped an item. There was a loud beep and the conveyor belt started moving. Within seconds, a flat, white case the size of a large book rolled through an open doorway in the wall and rolled towards them.

"What's that?" asked Harry as Ruby grabbed the case and grabbed Harry's hand.

"Signal Academy has everything a Huntsman or Huntress needs to be the best they can," Ruby explained as she pulled Harry back to their stall. "Including a variety stock of weapons to choose from."

Ruby opened the case to reveal a handgun Harry usually saw on TV or in the movies. The one where the clip loads into the grip of the pistol. It was solid black in color.

"This is a Beratta 92. It's a great training pistol for new users."

* * *

Harry and Ruby spent the next few hours going through several firearms. Ruby used her status as a student to rent several weapons while Harry was happy to pay for extra ammunition. And it took a lot for Harry to get used to each weapon they used.

The duo tried a variety of pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and rifles on the target range. Harry did eventually get used to firing a gun, but it still made him nervous using one. To be honest, he still preferred to use his wand.

However, he didn't have that luxury anymore.

So he would prepare himself with anything he had. He was lucky he had someone like Ruby to help with weapons. Of all the weapons he tried, he felt skilled with Ruby's sniper rifle and the handguns since handling them was somewhat similar to weaving a wand.

But soon, a loud grumble interrupted them. Ruby blushed when they realized it was her stomach.

"So….lunch?" grinned Harry. Ruby nodded shyly.

"I'll show you to the cafeteria," she offered. With all the guns placed back in storage, they went upstairs to the training room. But the first thing the saw was Yang in one of the glass rooms surrounded by her friends. They seemed to staring at a large wall screen next what Harry recognized as a speed bag. Dudley had one installed in his room when he started boxing.

"What are they doing?" asked Harry.

"It's a competition between Yang and boys at school. The punching bag measures how many pounds per square inch is measured when its punched," Ruby explained. "Yang holds the record while dad is in second place. They can't use their semblances or aura. Only pure strength."

"Should we ask her to go to lunch with us?" asked Harry.

"Sure."

When they entered the room, several teenagers were surrounding a large boy with a boxer's physique who was squaring up to punch the machine. Everyone, including Yang, was jeering him one. The boy roared and charge forward, slamming his fist into the speed bag. There was a loud bang as it swung up and crashed into the stand holding it. There was a loud ring and the computer screen beside them lit up with rolling numbers. It took a few seconds before the numbers stopped on **3005**.

He cheered, as did others, when the screen changed and a tally list of names was displayed. One name moved from number 3 to number 2. The name, Alan Greenwood, was now in second. He beat Taiyang's score of a perfect 3000. Yang's name was at number one with a score of **3575**.

"He beat dad's score," Ruby said crestfallen.

"Is that a bad thing?" Harry questioned.

"These names have been here since Signal was founded," Ruby explained. "Sort of like our mark on the school that always remembers us."

Harry nodded as he watched the teen high-five a bunch of his friends. Greenwood was had a larger physique than Taiyang, but looked like he used more of his upper body strength. He was wearing a red, leather jacket with torn sleeves with a black tank top underneath. His hair was blond with several green streaks on the tips. One his friends handed him gauntlets that were similar to Yang's, but were emerald green and had steel gloves covering his fingers.

"Well, Yang. Every day I get a little bit closer to your top score. Soon, my name is going to be on the top and I'll be the top fighter on Patch. And you'll be nothing but a faded memory."

"Keep telling that yourself, Greenwood. Maybe someone besides you will believe it," Yang retorted with a smirk.

"Just as long as you keep your end of the bargain when I break your record."

Harry mouthed 'bargain' to Ruby, but she just shrugged her shoulders in confusion. But before he could do anything else, Harry felt his arm being pulled away from Ruby and to the center of the crowd. To Harry's shock, Yang had a hold of his arm, grinning brightly.

"I bet Harry here could easily break your score," Yang told Alan.

"Him?" asked Alan. He and several people laughed. "This scrawny punk barely looks like he could break a fingernail much less my score!"

"Just you watch," Yang retorted. She went to the punching bag and adjusted the height to accommodate Harry's reach and went to the computer. "I personally saw him punch a Beowolf into dust just the other day."

"Yeah, I saw it, too," Ruby shouted. She didn't know what the bargain was that Yang agreed to, but she was willing to support her sister and Harry.

Even though Harry was beginning to really sweat from nerves. He really didn't want to show how strong he was. The embarrassment of yesterday and the Whack-a-Grimm was bad enough.

"Tell you what," Greenwood choked, still laughing. "If this scrawny toothpick beats my score, not only will I bow down and acknowledge you as queen of Signal Academy, but I'll jump off the Cliffs butt-naked."

Everybody in the room either laughed or made exclamations of disgust. Only Harry and Ruby didn't do anything. Harry because he didn't know what the Cliffs were.

"Fair enough," Yang said with a bit of predatory grin. She stepped away from the computer and gestured for Harry to take her place. "Type in your name and punch the bag."

Harry did as he was told. He looked at the speed bag, which was now at eye level. Harry never really thrown a punch before, but how hard could it be? He got into a stance with both his hands up to his chin, ready to throw a punch. But the sound of the other teens laughter made him stop.

"What?" Harry asked Yang.

She gave him a sad smile. "You never fought before, have you?"

"No," admitted an ashamed Harry. "I was the kid who got beat up a lot by my cousin and his gang."

The snickering from the others at his answer made his neck flush. Yang snapped them a fierce scowl and they stopped. Then she walked to Harry and stood beside him.

"Are you right or left-handed?" asked Yang.

"Right."

"Okay. Now I want you to mimic my stance." She got into a pose and Harry copied it. Instead of facing the speed bag head on, he now face it with his left side. His left arm extended out from him, slightly bent at the elbow. His right arm was tucked beside his body with the hand just below his chin.

"Just about right. Let's make some adjustments," Yang remarked.

Harry almost yelped when he felt Yang's hands on his leg. She pushed behind his knees and lowered his stance. She then pulled his left leg a little bit farther away from his body, settled his weight on his right leg, and pointed his feet in directions that helped balance his center of gravity. He almost yelped again when she pressed herself against his back and grabbed his arms. She positioned his arms into the same stance she just showed him. Then she adjusted the way he gripped his fists, telling him not to tuck his thumb into his palm.

All the while, Harry tried his best to pay attention to her instructions. Not the way her hair smelled, how strong her body was, or the softness he felt behind his shoulder blades.

He could of sworn he hear someone behind him say 'Lucky Bastard'.

"Alright then," Yang said cheerfully as she swung around Harry and faced him. If she noticed his red face, she didn't make any notice. "Now, when you throw you punch, you're going to swing your hips around and shift your weight to your back foot. The momentum from swinging your hips and shoulders will give you more power."

Harry nodded and faced the speed bag. He then turned back to Yang. "How many chances do I get?"

"Three," Greenwood answered. "That's how many I got. That's how many you get."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. In his stance, he could actually feel a little bit stronger. But there was a problem with nerves as he felt so many eyes on him.

Gathering what courage he had, he did what Yang told him and threw his right fist forward, swinging his hips as he did so.

And only grazed the speed bag.

The bag didn't even swing up. And the momentum he built up made him lose his balance. He fell to the floor. As the wind was knocked out of him, he heard everyone behind him roar with laughter. Several of them had their Scrolls out and were pointing them at him, recording the event.

"That's one," chuckled Greenwood.

Ruby helped Harry up, a look of concern on her face. Harry felt thoroughly embarrassed.

"You didn't properly pivot your back foot," Yang said helpfully. She brought Harry back to the speed bag and got into her stance. "Watch."

Harry watched her as she demonstrated in slow motion how to deliver the punch. He saw the way her back foot moved when she shifted her weight forward. Harry got into his stance and copied her technique, slowly throwing a punch and pivoting his foot properly.

"Alright, enough training," snapped Greenwood. "Hurry up."

"That anxious to acknowledge my greatness?" Yang grinned. "Or are you eager to finally get a bath you so rightly need?"

Greenwood growled, and then snapped is scowl to a couple of his friends who snickered.

"Go on, Harry," encouraged Ruby as she patted him on the back. "You can do it."

Harry nodded and stood in front of the bag. This time, he gave a slow, practice swing, stopping his fist only an inch from the bag. Then, he reared back and snapped a quick cross-jab at the speed bag. The bag flew up and slammed into stand holding it. On the screen was a rapid series of beeps that measured the force of his punch. It stopped and the numbers '2000' appeared on the screen. Harry's name suddenly moved into eighth place on the scoreboard.

The only noise was Yang and Ruby cheering. Everyone else was dumbstruck.

"How the hell did you do that," Greenwood blurted out. He then scowled. "I bet you used your semblance to strengthen your punch. That's not allowed."

"Uh, uh, uh," Yang mocked with a wag of her finger. "The alarm bell would have gone off if Harry did. And the only sound I heard was the score going up."

"Fine. But he still hasn't beaten my score."

"He has one more chance." Yang placed Harry back into position. Then she whispered in his ear. "You can do it Harry. Stop holding back."

"You noticed?" he whispered. The punch he threw was not at full force. It was more like a quick jab.

Yang nodded. "Ruby told me what you did yesterday. Don't worry; you won't break the machine if you use your full force. Now, show everyone what you can do."

Harry walked back to the speed bag, taking a deep breath as he did so. He got back into his stance, but then he backed up a step. If he was going to do this, he might as well us all his power. Greenwood did the same thing earlier; so could Harry.

Tensing his muscles, he took an extra step forward and swung his fist as hard as he could. His fist sunk almost fully into the back, then slammed into the stand holding with so much force it actually bent. The numbers on the screen rapidly rose as they calculated the force. It lasted longer than his second hit. Then Greenwood's earlier.

And when the numbers finally stopped, everyone's jaw dropped.

 **5000**.

The screen displaying the score burst with confetti as Harry's named moved into first place. He beat Greenwood and Yang's score.

Harry slowly turned to the others in the room. He was beginning to get nervous at their looks of disbelief. Suddenly, his vision was filled with rose petals and black hair as two arms latched around his neck.

"That was awesome!" Ruby squealed into his ear. "You did it!"

Harry didn't know what to do. He just grabbed onto Ruby, laughing with her. Then he felt two arms wrap around his waist and was hoisted off his feet.

"I can't believe it," Yang said. She had hugged him from behind and was swinging the three of them in a circle. "You beat my score!"

"Sorry," he gagged as Yang had a death grip on his waist.

"That's alright," she said as she put him and Ruby down. "Better you than Greenwood. Besides, with this test, you're bound to find a tutor to help you out this summer."

"Yeah. I kind of forgot about that."

Yang messed his hair up, and then turned to the crowd of teens. They were backing away from Greenwood. Several looked at him with anticipation while a few were snickering. Greenwood was frozen in shock.

Yang smiled. "I believe there's something you need to do when you address the queen of Signal?"

Greenwood's face was turning both green and red.

* * *

Everybody who had witness Harry's punch had gathered at the Cliffs. Harry had found out the Cliffs was just a swimming cove near Signal Academy. There was a nice beach with several sun chairs and a lifeguard tower. But beside the beach was a sheer cliff that was perfect for jumping daredevils.

Greenwood stood on cliffs as he glared daggers at everyone who were pointing their Scrolls at him to record the event. His fiercest scowl was at Yang, who was smirking back at him.

"I'll get you back for this, Xiao-Long!" he yelled.

"I'd stop if I were you. Unless you want me to take back my condition about you jumping."

Greenwood had kept his end of his first promise. He bowed down and acknowledged Yang as Queen. However, Yang changed the condition that he jump naked and offered him to wear swimming trunks. The catch was that Yang picked the trunks.

Right now, only Yang and Greenwood knew what she picked.

The crowd gathered around had begun to chant 'jump' towards the embarrassed teen. Giving everyone one last scowl and flipping his middle finger at Yang, he hurriedly stripped and jumped off the cliffs. The roar of laughter after he jumped sent the birds in the trees scattering. Several teens fell to the ground from laughing so hard. Ruby had to hang onto Harry's arm to keep herself upright while Harry himself was struggling to stay up.

Regardless how fast Greenwood managed from the cliffs, everyone got a glimpse of the trunks Yang had selected the boy to wear: a leopard print girl's bikini bottom.

Yang wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, that was worth my score being beaten."

"Sorry, Yang," Harry choked, struggling to speak normally. "I didn't think my strength would break your record as well."

Yang waved a hand. "It's fine. Records were meant to be broken. Now," she clapped her hands together, "it's time for me to keep my end of the bargain."

"Your end?" asked Ruby. She had finally stopped laughing to join the conversation.

"Yep. If someone beats my score, I had to keep my end of the bet we all made."

"Which is?" asked Harry.

Yang gave Harry a sultry smile and linked her arm through his. "You get to take me on a date."

"I gea wha?"

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter.


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